sleep

sleep is on the Basic English 850 List.

sky - sleep - slip

sleep is one of the 1000 most common headwords.

size - sleep - slight

Pronunciation

• enPR: slēp, IPA ^(key): /sliːp/
• SAMPA: /sli:p/

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Verb

Plain form sleep

Third-person singular sleeps

Past tense slept

Past participle slept

Present participle sleeping

1. (intransitive) If you sleep, you rest quietly with eyes shut, usually in bed for many hours at night.

   I need to sleep now because I'm tired.

2. (informal) If you sleep with someone, you have sex with them.

   I haven't slept with my husband in like eight months.

Noun

Singular sleep

Plural sleeps

1. (countable & uncountable) Sleep is the activity or time of resting quietly with eyes shut, usually in bed for many hours at night.

Related words

• go to sleep
• put to sleep
• asleep