oversleep
verb
over·sleep
ˌō-vər-ˈslēp 
overslept
ˌō-vər-ˈslept
; oversleeping
; oversleeping
: to sleep beyond the time for waking
: to allow (oneself) to oversleep
Examples of oversleep in a Sentence
Be sure to set your alarm clock so that you don't oversleep.
Recent Examples on the Web
One giant got distracted by a wandering minstrel One giant overslept and started late
Clues:
Brumm is not the fastest builder but didn’t oversleep.
—
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Finally the proper authority, who had overslept, showed up to unlock the gate.
—Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2025
The slowest builder finished before the one who overslept.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025
On Tuesday, Willard made an appearance on The Team 980 after missing an earlier show on WJFK-FM 106.7, chalking up the absence to oversleeping and being on West Coast time.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 25 Mar. 2025
Last spring, the Today show reported that people were oversleeping due to silent alarms.
—Jibin Joseph, PCMAG, 10 Jan. 2025
The Season 3 penultimate and finale episodes ‘Getting There’ and ‘Jews on a Plane’ aired on Comedy Central in 2016, the first half featuring the duo in a rush to get to the airport after oversleeping, forgetting a passport and getting stuck in the subway.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 5 Dec. 2024
During the last annular solar eclipse in October, Jonah Branch accidentally overslept and missed the 'ring of fire' celestial event.
—Keri Heath, Austin American-Statesman, 8 Apr. 2024
While the teenager had overslept, their school had gone into lockdown.
—Nouran Salahieh, Michelle Krupa and Nicole Chavez, CNN, 5 Sep. 2024
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Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Finally the proper authority, who had overslept, showed up to unlock the gate.
—Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2025
The slowest builder finished before the one who overslept.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025
On Tuesday, Willard made an appearance on The Team 980 after missing an earlier show on WJFK-FM 106.7, chalking up the absence to oversleeping and being on West Coast time.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 25 Mar. 2025
Last spring, the Today show reported that people were oversleeping due to silent alarms.
—Jibin Joseph, PCMAG, 10 Jan. 2025
The Season 3 penultimate and finale episodes ‘Getting There’ and ‘Jews on a Plane’ aired on Comedy Central in 2016, the first half featuring the duo in a rush to get to the airport after oversleeping, forgetting a passport and getting stuck in the subway.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 5 Dec. 2024
During the last annular solar eclipse in October, Jonah Branch accidentally overslept and missed the 'ring of fire' celestial event.
—Keri Heath, Austin American-Statesman, 8 Apr. 2024
While the teenager had overslept, their school had gone into lockdown.
—Nouran Salahieh, Michelle Krupa and Nicole Chavez, CNN, 5 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Oversleep.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oversleep. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
oversleep
verb
over·sleep
ˌō-vər-ˈslēp
overslept
-ˈslept
; oversleeping
; oversleeping
: to sleep beyond the usual time or beyond the time set for getting up
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