sleep on something

Idioms

Consider something overnight before deciding, as in I don't know if I want to go on such a long hike; let me sleep on it. This usage was first recorded in 1519 in the state papers of King Henry VIII: “His Grace ... said that he would sleep and dream upon the matter.”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Alice hinted to him that she was accustomed to sleep on something softer than a board, and the two went together to a store to purchase materials out of which to make a mattress.

From The New Penelope and Other Stories and Poems by Victor, Frances Fuller

"Why, I suppose they sleep on something now, though probably it wouldn't fit our clean barn; that's a fact."

From The King's Daughter and Other Stories for Girls by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023