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
-
slumberssimple
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have slumberedperfect
-
has slumberedperfect
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am slumberingprogressive
-
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:
Then Ryan Christie scored and it stirred, only to fall into a slumber again.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 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
“There was an incredible outpouring of support from all over Southern California, and we served hundreds of impacted families,” said Mathers, who wore a shirt at the slumber party emblazoned with “Camp Counselor.”
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
I press a cushion over my face and curl up on my side, trying to ignore her and go back to dreamless slumber.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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
Jackson knows what can happen when good policy gets stuck on the drawing board while society slumbers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 26, 2024
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
I slip down my face mask, and say, “So this is what you meant when you said what slumbers in here”—I touch my chest—“slumbers in here.”
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
Parts of him that had long slumbered were waking up.
From Salon ● Feb. 18, 2025
As Fatima fretted over the captain’s threats, daughter Ruma slumbered against her arm.
From Seattle Times ● May 7, 2024
Scientists say they’re closer to an answer, thanks to an unusual study that used an electronic glove to guide people’s dreams while they slumbered.
From Science Magazine ● May 15, 2023
The body slumbered on, and the self that observed was being borne away out of the canopy of leaves altogether and into the open sky.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
Treasury debt is a slumbering giant that is starting to stir.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
From his enthusiastic dancing dad and slumbering grandma to the overly productive frybread vendor, each character is deftly rendered with a familiar and affectionate warmth.
From Salon ● Dec. 19, 2025
"The border with Lithuania is in 30 minutes," the assistant shouted to rouse slumbering passengers.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 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
“Where we are now is called the Oceans of Epo. Named after the slumbering Goddess of the Seas.”
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
