sleepover
Americannoun
-
an instance of sleeping over, as at another person's house.
-
a person who sleeps over.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of sleepover
First recorded in 1970–75; noun use of verb phrase sleep over
Explanation
A sleepover is a night you spend sleeping at a friend's house. Some sleepovers are large gatherings of many pajama-wearing friends, while overs consist of just two people. If you're invited to a sleepover, you'll want to pack a sleeping bag, your toothbrush, and pajamas. Kids and teenagers are the most likely to attend sleepovers, which often mark the first time a child has slept away from her own bed. When a sleepover involves a group of friends, you can also call it a slumber party or pajama party. Sleepover has been used since the 1930s.
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.
See Examples For:
But “Toy Story 5” has one particularly limiting scene, where Bonnie goes to her first-ever sleepover with her new friends from dance class.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026
Ideas to help you plan out the warm days ahead, from an alpaca encounter in Carpinteria to a glitzy sleepover in Coronado.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
Influencer Alix Earle posted a TikTok Saturday of herself getting ready for a sleepover with her sister with the caption “Now off to watch fruit love island.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
The mum of a seven-year-old boy with a rare genetic condition says life-changing surgery means he is finally able to have his very first sleepover.
From BBC ● Nov. 18, 2025
“A few. For the swimming and beach bonfire—and the movie. Not for the sleepover part on the terrace. Obviously.”
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
Walsh: I remember going to sleepovers with all of my friends and we would do Lizzie nights.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Watching these A.I. edits became a pastime for her friend group; they’d share the videos at school and at sleepovers.
From Slate ● May 12, 2026
Barnes was an insulin-dependent diabetic, and her son avoided sleepovers in case she fell ill at night, she wrote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
The return of the sleepovers is good news for the museum and its visitors.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2025
It isn’t the right time to ask about sleepovers.
From "Amina's Voice" by Hena Khan
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.
