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
One of the most relaxing parts of the day is burrowing under your blankets before drifting off to sleep.
—
Rylee Johnston, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
Even now, my only friend was drifting off in another direction.
—Sam Lipsyte, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
Educators are split too, amused by the ingenuity, yet frustrated that students are still finding ways to drift off task during lessons.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2025
With our record, most people would try to drift off from each other.
—Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drift off
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Rylee Johnston, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
Even now, my only friend was drifting off in another direction.
—Sam Lipsyte, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
Educators are split too, amused by the ingenuity, yet frustrated that students are still finding ways to drift off task during lessons.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2025
With our record, most people would try to drift off from each other.
—Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 9 Oct. 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 27 Oct. 2025.
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