slumber
Americanverb (used without object)
-
slumbers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
slumbered,
past participle, past
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slumbering
present participle
-
to sleep, especially lightly; doze; drowse.
-
to be in a state of inactivity, negligence, quiescence, or calm.
Vesuvius is slumbering.
verb (used with object)
-
slumbers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
slumbered,
past participle, past
-
slumbering
present participle
-
to spend or pass (time) in slumbering (often followed by away, out, orthrough ).
to slumber the afternoon away.
-
to dispel or forget by slumbering (often followed byaway ).
to slumber cares away.
noun
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slumbers
plural
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Sometimes slumbers. sleep, especially light sleep.
-
a period of sleep, especially light sleep.
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a state of inactivity, quiescence, etc.
verb
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(intr) to sleep, esp peacefully
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(intr) to be quiescent or dormant
-
to spend (time) sleeping
noun
-
(sometimes plural) sleep
-
a dormant or quiescent state
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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slumbersimple
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slumberssimple
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have slumberedperfect
-
has slumberedperfect
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am slumberingprogressive
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are slumberingprogressive
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is slumberingprogressive
-
have been slumberingperfect progressive
-
has been slumberingperfect progressive
Past
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slumberedsimple
-
had slumberedperfect
-
was slumberingprogressive
-
were slumberingprogressive
-
had been slumberingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of slumber
1175–1225; (v.) Middle English slumeren, frequentative of slumen to doze, derivative of Old English slūma sleep ( see -er 6); compare German schlummern; (noun) Middle English slomur, slomber, derivative of the v.
Explanation
Slumber means "sleep" — as a verb or noun. If you're a sound sleeper, you might slumber peacefully right through a thunderstorm, your slumber undisturbed. To slumber is to sleep, sometimes specifically to sleep lightly or doze. You can slumber in your bed, in your airplane seat, or through your alarm in the morning. Slumber can also describe a peacefulness, like your quiet street that seems to slumber early in the morning. The phrase slumber party was first used in the 1940s to mean a gathering held at night, that usually involves very little slumbering.
Vocabulary lists containing slumber
Beowulf vocabulary
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The Blood of Olympus
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Nehru's "Tryst with Destiny" Speech
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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:
"We believe that Europe can awaken from its long slumber and rekindle the fire that was here millennia ago," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
The S&P 500 index is showing signs of coming out of its recent slumber, and most of the signals coming out of the options market are saying a big rally may be imminent.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
When the slumber party started at 8 p.m., the eight attendees gathered in Tail Town’s front lobby, home to resident fluffy cat queen Miss Yvonne and office manager Grizzly Bear, a brown tabby.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
But in the 1985 novel told from his point of view, he’s reborn as a rock star, emerging from a long, depressive slumber just in time to seduce the MTV generation.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026
When he did, it was in light, uneasy slumber.
From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander
Sunderland woke from their first-half slumbers, detected the growing anxiety around the stadium, and a sense of inevitability accompanied a thunderous 80th-minute equaliser from Brian Brobbey.
From BBC ● Jan. 4, 2026
As the sun still slumbers early Monday, patches of dense fog are cloaking parts of Puget Sound and the southwest interior, including areas in and around Tacoma, Bellevue, Seattle and Bremerton.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 16, 2023
The new Man in Black is actually a host version of William controlled by Charlotte, while the genuine article slumbers in cryosleep.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2022
“If the screaming did not disturb the slumbers of Pasadena, it’s one of the larger miracles,” wrote Charles Champlin in The Times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2022
After this one, he touches my solar plexus with his outspread hand, adding, “What slumbers in the heart is what slumbers in the stone, understand?”
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
Hundreds of older people slumbered on thin mats on the hard lobby floor at a community centre in Uki city.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
While RSV and influenza slumbered these past few years, society was learning an unprecedented amount about their behavior and the effect public health actions have on them.
From Slate ● Dec. 5, 2022
One could imagine that some reptilian alien slumbered away the eons here while traveling to the Solar System.
From Science Magazine ● Feb. 6, 2020
One night, at two, while the majority of the crew slumbered, John snuck out of his rack and headed down to the hangar deck.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2018
The bookshelves with their neatly ordered manuscripts slumbered in the shadows, while overhead pale moonlight wafted through the stained glass windows, lighting on the bronze statues of past Librarians standing vigil over the galleries.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
Treasury debt is a slumbering giant that is starting to stir.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
"The border with Lithuania is in 30 minutes," the assistant shouted to rouse slumbering passengers.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2025
If there is indeed a slumbering mass of Americans who believe in real “we the people” democracy, they need to wake up. immediately.
From Salon ● Jan. 28, 2025
For example, lower levels of sleep apnoea – when breathing stops and starts while slumbering – is thought to be down to losing weight around the tongue and throat, which can block the airways.
From BBC ● Jan. 20, 2025
“I am sorry, Phillip. You promised to release me from my service if I healed this...creature,” she said, pointing at the slumbering wolf.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
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.
