slumber

[ sluhm-ber ]

/ ˈslʌm bər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR slumber ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to sleep, especially lightly; doze; drowse.

to be in a state of inactivity, negligence, quiescence, or calm: Vesuvius is slumbering.

verb (used with object)

to spend or pass (time) in slumbering (often followed by away, out, or through): to slumber the afternoon away.

to dispel or forget by slumbering (often followed by away): to slumber cares away.

noun

Sometimes slumbers. sleep, especially light sleep.

a period of sleep, especially light sleep.

a state of inactivity, quiescence, etc.

Nearby words

Origin of slumber

1175–1225; (v.) Middle English slumeren, frequentative of slumen to doze, derivative of Old English slūma sleep (see -er⁶); compare German schlummern; (noun) Middle English slomur, slomber, derivative of the v.

Related formsslum·ber·er, nounslum·ber·less, adjectiveun·slum·ber·ing, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for slumber

Paul and McCain do not exactly have a history of slumber parties and hair-braiding.
Rand Paul Eats Up Hoax That John McCain Met With ISIS|Olivia Nuzzi|September 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
More than one-quarter of Americans are stealing those precious hours from their slumber, and are paying a steep price for it.
Short on Zzz’s? 15 Research-Backed Sleep Hacks|DailyBurn|May 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We need a great leader to wake us from our slumber and remind us that a two-state solution is urgently in our own interest.
Obama: Come Visit The Settlements|Samuel Lebens|March 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Budding doctors, actors, stock traders, lawyers, and writers all had a slumber party Wednesday night.
Inside the NYU Refugee Camp for Displaced Students|Kevin Fallon, Abby Haglage|November 1, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Coffin: A final resting place for corpses, and for daytime slumber for vampires.
‘Dark Shadows’ for Dummies or a Glossary of Key Names and Places|Jace Lacob|May 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Like a man lost in slumber, he heard nothing, he saw nothing.
Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard|Joseph Conrad
The elder sister, relieved and comforted, soon sank into slumber herself.
Horace Chase|Constance Fenimore Woolson
But the csikós would not let him turn his thoughts to slumber, he had yet something to tell him.
The Yellow Rose|Mr Jkai
Scarcely had the journalist composed himself to slumber, when the ruins were invaded by the party from the palace.
His Lordship's Leopard|David Dwight Wells
She arose to a sitting posture glancing around as a child might who has been suddenly awakened from slumber.
Trusia|Davis Brinton

British Dictionary definitions for slumber

slumber

/ (ˈslʌmbə) /

verb

(intr) to sleep, esp peacefully

(intr) to be quiescent or dormant

(tr foll by away) to spend (time) sleeping

noun

(sometimes plural) sleep

a dormant or quiescent state

Derived Formsslumberer, nounslumberless, adjective

Word Origin for slumber

Old English slūma sleep (n); related to Middle High German slummeren, Dutch sluimeren

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 slumber

slumber

mid-14c. alteration of slumeren (mid-13c.), frequentative form of slumen "to doze," probably from Old English sluma "light sleep" (cf. Middle Dutch slumen, Dutch sluimeren, German schlummern "to slumber"). Frequentative on the notion of "intermittent light sleep." For the -b-, cf. number, lumber, chamber, etc. Related: Slumbered; slumbering.

slumber

mid-14c., from slumber (v.). Slumber party first recorded 1942. Slumberland is from 1875.

slumber

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of slumber

Examples from the Web for slumber

slumber

verb

noun

Word Origin for slumber

slumber

slumber