drift off
phrasal verb
drifted off; drifting off; drifts off
informal
: to fall asleep
She drifted off while I was still talking.
He gradually drifted off to sleep.
Examples of drift off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Worn out by his night on the road, my father began drifting off.
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Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
Check out Pantelleria Seemingly drifting off towards Tunisia from Sicily’s southwestern shores, Pantelleria is the largest of the minor Sicilian islands and one of its most ravishing.
—Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2026
Webster drifted off to sleep, full of hope.
—Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
The driver drifted off the highway and struck the bridge pillar for unknown reasons, Baylark said.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drift off
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Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
Check out Pantelleria Seemingly drifting off towards Tunisia from Sicily’s southwestern shores, Pantelleria is the largest of the minor Sicilian islands and one of its most ravishing.
—Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2026
Webster drifted off to sleep, full of hope.
—Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
The driver drifted off the highway and struck the bridge pillar for unknown reasons, Baylark said.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drift off
Cite this Entry
“Drift off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drift%20off. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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