sleep through
Britishverb
-
Sleep without waking for a period of time, usually the night, as in At three months many babies have learned to sleep through . [Mid-1900s]
-
sleep through something . Fail to pay attention, as in We all slept through the explanation and then had trouble getting the machines started .
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.
Every household should have a number that, when they hit it, lets them sleep through any layoff cycle.
From MarketWatch • May 15, 2026
“I usually sleep through the massage, but I find it helps relax my body,” he says.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 4, 2026
Ivor's condition affects about one in every 15,000 people and means he needs constant supervision, struggles to sleep through the night, cannot speak, understand the word "no" and is not toilet trained.
From BBC • Jun. 14, 2025
The researchers also simulated the neural effects of sleep through low-frequency electrical stimulation of the visual cortex.
From Science Daily • Nov. 22, 2024
I wonder how often I sleep through it, Eleanor wondered.
From "Eleanor & Park" by Rainbow Rowell
![]()
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.