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
Minutes later, as Jones prepared to leave the stadium — and, inevitably, to replay many of the wild game’s moments in his mind before drifting off to sleep — perspective finally seemed to arrive.
—
Michael Silver, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Traditional backup systems such as inertial navigation units can only operate for short periods without drifting off course when GPS is not available to recalibrate them.
—Paul Smith-Goodson, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Ronson repeated the phrase before drifting off to sleep.
—Marina Watts, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
The driver of the truck sped up before the attacks, and Koenig whooped with excitement after Bartell was killed and her car drifted off the road, testimony at trial revealed.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drift off
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Michael Silver, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Traditional backup systems such as inertial navigation units can only operate for short periods without drifting off course when GPS is not available to recalibrate them.
—Paul Smith-Goodson, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Ronson repeated the phrase before drifting off to sleep.
—Marina Watts, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
The driver of the truck sped up before the attacks, and Koenig whooped with excitement after Bartell was killed and her car drifted off the road, testimony at trial revealed.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 9 Sep. 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 5 Oct. 2025.
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