sleeper

[ slee-per ]

/ ˈsli pər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sleeper ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person or thing that sleeps.

a heavy horizontal timber for distributing loads.

Building Trades.

any long wooden, metal, or stone piece lying horizontally as a sill or footing.
any of a number of wooden pieces, laid upon the ground or upon masonry or concrete, to which floorboards are nailed.

a sleeping car.

Informal. something or someone that becomes unexpectedly successful or important after a period of being unnoticed, ignored, or considered unpromising or a failure: The play was the sleeper of the season.

merchandise that is not quickly sold because its value is not immediately recognized.

Often sleepers. one-piece or two-piece pajamas with feet, especially for children.

bunting³.

a sofa, chair, or other piece of furniture that is designed to open up or unfold into a bed; convertible.

Also called sleep, sand. a globule that forms at the inner corner of the eye, especially during sleep, from the accumulated secretion of the glands of the eyelid.

any of several gobioid fishes of the family Eleotridae, of tropical seas, most species of which have the habit of resting quietly on the bottom.

Slang. a spy; mole.

Slang. a juvenile delinquent sentenced to serve more than nine months.

Bowling. a pin that is hidden from view by another pin.

Chiefly British. a timber or beam laid in a railroad track, serving as a foundation or support for the rails; tie.

Nearby words

Origin of sleeper

Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at sleep, -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sleeper

Hollywood might possibly fear North Korean sleeper cells capable of blowing up theaters that screen anti-Nork films.
Pyongyang Shuffle: Hollywood In Dead Panic Over Sony Hack|James Poulos|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But faced with a sleeper hit, HBO shockingly did not quite feel the same way.
Alright ‘True Detective,’ You Got Me: Taylor Kitsch Is a Woman’s Man|Teo Bugbee|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sam Brownback—The Kansas Governor might be the sleeper in this race to crazy.
How Long Can the Republicans Hide The Crazy?|Dean Obeidallah|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For a presidential race, McCrary says Georgia will probably look like a true swing state in 2020 and could be a sleeper in 2016.
A Carter Could Turn Georgia Blue|Patricia Murphy|March 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He is also the author of two acclaimed thrillers: Innocent Blood and The Sleeper.
The Hero Summit 2013 Speakers||September 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The French boy aimed a blow at the third sleeper, and the two captives escaped.
Canada: the Empire of the North|Agnes C. Laut
He hopes that it will startle some sleeper so that they will move.
The Burgess Animal Book for Children|Thornton W. Burgess
The sleeper was aroused, and then light shone through the crevices.
The Voodoo Gold Trail|Walter Walden
How often may such stimuli incite the sleeper to dream without his knowing of them afterward?
A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis|Sigmund Freud
Roger Congreve returned just before twelve, and found Olive sitting alone by the sleeper, and his wrath was fully equal to hers.
Six Girls|Fannie Belle Irving

British Dictionary definitions for sleeper

sleeper

/ (ˈsliːpə) /

noun

a person, animal, or thing that sleeps

a railway sleeping car or compartment

British one of the blocks supporting the rails on a railway trackUS and Canadian equivalent: tie

a heavy timber beam, esp one that is laid horizontally on the ground

mainly British a small plain gold circle worn in a pierced ear lobe to prevent the hole from closing up

a wrestling hold in which a wrestler presses the sides of his opponent's neck, causing him to pass out

US an unbranded calf

Also called: sleeper goby any gobioid fish of the family Eleotridae, of brackish or fresh tropical waters, resembling the gobies but lacking a ventral sucker

informal a person or thing that achieves unexpected success after an initial period of obscurity

a spy planted in advance for future use, but not currently active

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for sleeper

sleeper

Old English slæpere "one who sleeps, one who is inclined to sleep much," agent noun from sleep (v.). Meaning "strong horizontal beam" is from c.1600. Meaning "dormant or inoperative thing" is from 1620s. Meaning "railroad sleeping car" is from 1875. Sense of "something whose importance proves to be greater than expected" first attested 1892, originally in American English sports jargon, probably from earlier (1856) gambling slang sense of "unexpected winning card." Meaning "spy, enemy agent, terrorist etc. who remains undercover for a long time before attempting his purpose" first attested 1955, originally in reference to communist agents in the West.

sleeper

noun

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Origin of sleeper

Examples from the Web for sleeper

sleeper

noun

sleeper