Adjacent Words

Sleep definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SLEEP, v.i. pret. and pp. slept.
1. To take rest by a suspension of the voluntary exercise of the powers of the body and mind. The proper time to sleep in during the darkness of night.
2. To rest; to be unemployed; to be inactive or motionless; as, the sword sleeps in its sheath.
3. To rest; to lie or be still; not to be noticed or agitated. The question sleeps for the present.
4. To live thoughtlessly. We sleep over our happiness.
5. To be dead; to rest in the grave for a time. I Thess. 4.
6. To be careless, inattentive or unconcerned; not be vigilant.
SLEEP, n. That state of an animal in which the voluntary exertion of his mental and corporeal powers is suspended, and he rests unconscious of what passes around him, and not affected by the ordinary impressions of external objects. Sleep is generally attended with a relaxation of the muscles, but the involuntary motions, as respiration and the circulation of the blood, are continued. The mind is often very active in sleep; but its powers not being under the control of reason, its exercises are very irregular. Sleep is the natural rest or repose intended by the Creator to restore the powers of the body and mind, when exhausted or fatigued.
SLEEP OF PLANTS, a state of plants at night, when their least droop or are folded.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended; "he didn't get enough sleep last night"; "calm as a child in dreamless slumber" [syn: sleep, slumber]
2: a torpid state resembling deep sleep [syn: sleep, sopor]
3: a period of time spent sleeping; "he felt better after a little sleep"; "there wasn't time for a nap" [syn: sleep, nap]
4: euphemisms for death (based on an analogy between lying in a bed and in a tomb); "she was laid to rest beside her husband"; "they had to put their family pet to sleep" [syn: rest, eternal rest, sleep, eternal sleep, quietus] v
1: be asleep [syn: sleep, kip, slumber, log Z's, catch some Z's] [ant: wake]
2: be able to accommodate for sleeping; "This tent sleeps six people"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English slepe, from Old English sl?p; akin to Old High German sl?f sleep and perhaps to Latin labi to slip, slide Date: before 12th century 1. the natural periodic suspension of consciousness during which the powers of the body are restored — compare REM sleep, slow-wave sleep 2. a state resembling sleep: as a. a state of torpid inactivity b. death <put a pet cat to sleep>; also trance, coma c. the closing of leaves or petals especially at night d. a state marked by a diminution of feeling followed by tingling <my foot's gone to sleep> e. the state of an animal during hibernation 3. a. a period spent sleeping b. night c. a day's journey 4. crusty matter present in the corner of an eye upon awakening • sleeplike adjective II. verb (slept; sleeping) Date: before 12th century intransitive verb 1. to rest in a state of sleep 2. to be in a state (as of quiescence or death) resembling sleep 3. to have sexual relations — usually used with with transitive verb 1. to be slumbering in <slept the sleep of the dead> 2. to get rid of or spend in or by sleep <sleep away the hours> <sleep off a headache> 3. to provide sleeping accommodations for <the boat sleeps six>

Britannica Concise

Natural periodic suspension of consciousness during which the powers of the body are restored. Humans normally sleep at night, whereas nocturnal species sleep during the day. The average human sleep requirement is about 7.5 hours. Sleep is divided into two main types, REM (rapid-eye-movement) and NREM (non-REM); each recurs cyclically several times during a normal period of sleep. REM sleep is characterized by increased neuronal activity of the forebrain and midbrain, by depressed muscle tone, and by dreaming (see dream), rapid eye movements, and vascular congestion of the sex organs. NREM sleep is divided into four stages, the last of which is the deep, restorative, quiet sleep commonly associated with "a good night's rest." See also insomnia, narcolepsy.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a condition of body and mind such as that which normally recurs for several hours every night, in which the nervous system is inactive, the eyes closed, the postural muscles relaxed, and consciousness practically suspended. 2 a period of sleep (shall try to get a sleep). 3 a state like sleep, such as rest, quiet, negligence, or death. 4 the prolonged inert condition of hibernating animals. 5 a substance found in the corners of the eyes after sleep. --v. (past and past part. slept) 1 intr. a be in a state of sleep. b fall asleep. 2 intr. (foll. by at, in, etc.) spend the night. 3 tr. provide sleeping accommodation for (the house sleeps six). 4 intr. (foll. by with, together) have sexual intercourse, esp. in bed. 5 intr. (foll. by on, over) not decide (a question) until the next day. 6 intr. (foll. by through) fail to be woken by. 7 intr. be inactive or dormant. 8 intr. be dead; lie in the grave. 9 tr. a (foll. by off) remedy by sleeping (slept off his hangover). b (foll. by away) spend in sleeping (sleep the hours away). 10 intr. (of a top) spin so steadily as to seem motionless. Phrases and idioms: get to sleep manage to fall asleep. go to sleep 1 enter a state of sleep. 2 (of a limb) become numbed by pressure. in one's sleep while asleep. last sleep death. let sleeping dogs lie avoid stirring up trouble. put to sleep 1 anaesthetize. 2 kill (an animal) painlessly. sleep around colloq. be sexually promiscuous. sleep in 1 remain asleep later than usual in the morning. 2 sleep by night at one's place of work. sleeping-bag a lined or padded bag to sleep in esp. when camping etc. Sleeping Beauty a fairy-tale heroine who slept for 100 years. sleeping-car (or -carriage) a railway coach provided with beds or berths. sleeping-draught a drink to induce sleep. sleeping partner a partner not sharing in the actual work of a firm. sleeping-pill a pill to induce sleep. sleeping policeman a ramp etc. in the road intended to cause traffic to reduce speed. sleeping sickness any of several tropical diseases with extreme lethargy caused by a trypanosome transmitted by a tsetse-fly bite. sleeping-suit a child's one-piece night-garment. sleep-learning learning by hearing while asleep. sleep like a log (or top) sleep soundly. the sleep of the just sound sleep. sleep out sleep by night out of doors, or not at one's place of work. sleep-out n. Austral. & NZ a veranda, porch, or outbuilding providing sleeping accommodation. Etymology: OE slep, slæp (n.), slepan, slæpan (v.) f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sleep Sleep, v. t. 1. To be slumbering in; -- followed by a cognate object; as, to sleep a dreamless sleep. --Tennyson. 2. To give sleep to; to furnish with accomodations for sleeping; to lodge. [R.] --Blackw. Mag. To sleep away, to spend in sleep; as, to sleep away precious time. To sleep off, to become free from by sleep; as, to sleep off drunkeness or fatigue.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sleep Sleep, obs. imp. of Sleep. Slept. --Chaucer.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sleep Sleep, n. [AS. sl[=ae]p; akin to OFries. sl[=e]p, OS. sl[=a]p, D. slaap, OHG. sl[=a]f, G. schlaf, Goth. sl[=e]ps. See Sleep, v. i.] A natural and healthy, but temporary and periodical, suspension of the functions of the organs of sense, as well as of those of the voluntary and rational soul; that state of the animal in which there is a lessened acuteness of sensory perception, a confusion of ideas, and a loss of mental control, followed by a more or less unconscious state. ``A man that waketh of his sleep.'' --Chaucer. O sleep, thou ape of death. --Shak. Note: Sleep is attended by a relaxation of the muscles, and the absence of voluntary activity for any rational objects or purpose. The pulse is slower, the respiratory movements fewer in number but more profound, and there is less blood in the cerebral vessels. It is susceptible of greater or less intensity or completeness in its control of the powers.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sleep Sleep, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Slept; p. pr. & vb. n. Sleeping.] [OE. slepen, AS. sl?pan; akin to OFries. sl?pa, OS. sl[=a]pan, D. slapen, OHG. sl[=a]fan, G. schlafen, Goth. sl?pan, and G. schlaff slack, loose, and L. labi to glide, slide, labare to totter. Cf. Lapse.] 1. To take rest by a suspension of the voluntary exercise of the powers of the body and mind, and an apathy of the organs of sense; to slumber. --Chaucer. Watching at the head of these that sleep. --Milton. 2. Figuratively: (a) To be careless, inattentive, or uncouncerned; not to be vigilant; to live thoughtlessly. We sleep over our happiness. --Atterbury. (b) To be dead; to lie in the grave. Them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. --1 Thess. iv. 14. (c) To be, or appear to be, in repose; to be quiet; to be unemployed, unused, or unagitated; to rest; to lie dormant; as, a question sleeps for the present; the law sleeps. How sweet the moonlight sleep upon this bank! --Shak.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(sleeps, sleeping, slept) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. Sleep is the natural state of rest in which your eyes are closed, your body is inactive, and your mind does not think. They were exhausted from lack of sleep... Try and get some sleep... Be quiet and go to sleep... Often he would have bad dreams and cry out in his sleep. 2. When you sleep, you rest with your eyes closed and your mind and body inactive. During the car journey, the baby slept... ...a pool surrounded by sleeping sunbathers. VERB: V, V-ing 3. A sleep is a period of sleeping. I think he may be ready for a sleep soon. N-COUNT: usu sing 4. If a building or room sleeps a particular number of people, it has beds for that number of people. The villa sleeps 10 and costs £530 per person for two weeks. VERB: no cont, no passive, V amount 5. see also sleeping 6. If you cannot get to sleep, you are unable to sleep. I can't get to sleep with all that singing. PHRASE: V inflects 7. If you say that you didn't lose any sleep over something, you mean that you did not worry about it at all. I didn't lose too much sleep over that investigation. PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR over n 8. If you are trying to make a decision and you say that you will sleep on it, you mean that you will delay making a decision on it until the following day, so you have time to think about it. PHRASE: V inflects 9. If a sick or injured animal is put to sleep, it is killed by a vet in a way that does not cause it pain. I'm going take the dog down to the vet's and have her put to sleep. = put down PHRASE: V inflects 10. to sleep rough: see rough

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

slep: Represents many words in Hebrew and Greek. For the noun the most common are shenah, and hupnos; for the verb, yashen, shakhabh, and katheudo. The figurative uses for death (De 31:16, etc.) and sluggishness (Eph 5:14, etc.) are very obvious.

See DREAM.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. n. 1. Slumber, rest, repose, doze, drowse, nap. 2. Rest, be still, be motionless. 3. Be dead, lie in the grave. 4. Be thoughtless, be heedless, be careless. II. n. 1. Slumber, repose, rest. 2. Death.

Moby Thesaurus

KO, annihilation, ataraxia, ataraxy, bane, be caught napping, be neglectful, be negligent, beauty sleep, beddy-bye, bedtime, biological death, blackout, blanket drill, bye-bye, calmness, catalepsy, catatonia, catatony, catnap, cessation of life, clinical death, coma, comfort, composure, contemplation, crossing the bar, curtains, death, death knell, debt of nature, decease, default, demise, departure, disregard, dissolution, doom, doss, doze, dreamland, drop off, drowse, dying, ease, ebb of life, end, end of life, ending, eternal rest, exit, expiration, extinction, extinguishment, fail, faint, final summons, finger of death, fitful sleep, forty winks, fust, gloss over, going, going off, grave, grayout, hand of death, hang fire, hibernation, idle, ignore, imperturbability, inactivity, jaws of death, kayo, knell, knockout, land of Nod, lapse, last debt, last muster, last rest, last roundup, last sleep, leaving life, let go, let ride, let slide, let slip, light sleep, lipothymia, lipothymy, lose sight of, lose track of, loss of life, lucid stillness, making an end, marmoreal repose, nap, neglect, nirvana, nirvana principle, nod, nod off, not care for, not get involved, not heed, not think, nothingness, oblivion, obliviousness, overlook, oversleep, parting, pass over, passing, passing away, passing over, peace, peacefulness, perishing, placidity, placidness, pound, quiescence, quiescency, quiet, quietism, quietness, quietude, quietus, relax, relaxation, release, repose, rest, restfulness, reward, satori, saw logs, saw wood, semiconsciousness, senselessness, sentence of death, serenity, shades of death, shadow of death, shut-eye, siesta, silence, silken repose, sleep soundly, sleepland, sleepwalking, slumber, slumberland, smolder, snooze, snoozle, snore, somatic death, somnambulism, somniloquy, somnus, stagnate, stillness, stupor, summons of death, swoon, syncope, take a nap, take for granted, tranquillity, unbuttoned ease, unconsciousness, vegetate, winter sleep, wise passiveness