slumber

slum·ber | \ ˈsləm-bər

How to pronounce slumber (audio)

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slumbered; slumbering\ ˈsləm-b(ə-)riŋ

How to pronounce slumbering (audio)

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Definition of slumber

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1a : to sleep lightly : doze

2a : to be in a torpid, slothful, or negligent state

b : to lie dormant or latent

slumber

Definition of slumber (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : sleep

b : a light sleep

2 : lethargy, torpor

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Examples of slumber in a Sentence

Verb she slumbered for hours while the train rolled on slumbering restlessly in the tropical heat Noun She fell into deep slumber. a toddler looking so innocent and peaceful in slumber

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Our short person has left for the schoolhouse, our official mascot is slumbering at our feet, and our coffee kettle is whistling a familiar tune. — Ed Silverman, STAT, "Pharmalittle: States push back on opioid deal; sheriffs acted as front group to decry importation," 24 Oct. 2019 Barcelona slumbered to a defeat against Chelsea in their first pre-season fixture but have since recovered well to beat Japanese side Vissel Kobe before turning over Arsenal 2-1 at Camp Nou last time out. — SI.com, "Napoli vs Barcelona Preview: Where to Watch, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News," 5 Aug. 2019 And what more fitting a train than the 4449, slumbering in obscurity those long years, but robustly willing to do the work it was designed for? — Tom Bentley, Popular Mechanics, "Why the SP 4449 Is Such a Badass Train," 15 July 2019 After a night of gazing at the heavens and then slumbering under the stars, wake the next morning as the wildlife — elephants, giraffes, maybe big cats — gather at the river to begin their day anew. — Mary Ann Anderson, Dallas News, "Kenya's star beds offer a feast for the senses," 2 July 2019 Yes, the lumber slumbered most of the drizzly night at Comerica Park in the Tigers’ 4-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians. — Carlos Monarrez, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Tigers strike out 15 times in 4-2 loss to Indians," 15 June 2019 Through the first two games of the series, the Red Sox’ bats slumbered, the team scoring just five runs over 26 innings and failing to produce multiple runs in a single frame. — Alex Speier, BostonGlobe.com, "Oh, look, the Red Sox took a series from a good team," 19 June 2019 Depicting napping knights, slumbering artisans and slumping kings, the series is on loan from an Oxfordshire country house, where the series has been decorating the salon walls since it was installed there in the 1890s. — J.s. Marcus, WSJ, "In London, Medieval Legends Through Modern Eyes," 19 Oct. 2018 Since then, the beautiful Provençal city with its Roman amphitheater surrounded by pretty 18th-century townhouses and mansions and dainty 19th-century villas and ’60s housing projects has long slumbered. — Hamish Bowles, Vogue, "What to See at the Rencontres d’Arles Photo Festival," 24 Aug. 2018 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun But in the morning, that dastardly alarm clock wakes you from a stoned slumber and something just isn’t right. — Mike Adams, chicagotribune.com, "Marijuana hangovers are real: What you need to know," 22 Aug. 2019 What a comment like that tells you, what the larger amount of counter-protesters tells you, what the heightened awareness across the board tells you, is that racing understands the stakes and has been shaken from its slumber. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: Protests, counter-protests at Del Mar show horse racing finally paying attention," 22 Aug. 2019 In which case: Goodbye, hot girl summer and hello, hot girl slumber. — Elahe Izadi, Washington Post, "Nicki Minaj says she’s retiring. Does that mean we’ll never hear new music from her?," 5 Sep. 2019 Yet science has linked poor slumber with high blood pressure, a weakened immune system, weight gain, mood swings, paranoia, depression and a higher risk of diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular disease, dementia and some cancers. — Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, "Is lack of sleep ruining your sex life?," 5 Sep. 2019 Yet science has linked poor slumber with high blood pressure, a weakened immune system, weight gain, mood swings, paranoia, depression and a higher risk of diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular disease, dementia and some cancers. — Sandee Lamotte, CNN, "Is a lack of sleep ruining your sex life?," 5 Sep. 2019 Before that, the Dodgers (85-44) spent Thursday night concocting their 12th walk-off win over a less formidable AL East opponent after an eight-inning offensive slumber. — Los Angeles Times, "Can the Dodgers win a World Series with Kenley Jansen continuing to struggle as their closer?," 22 Aug. 2019 Still, some people are willing to gamble a fortune on the hope of thawing out and emerging one day from an almost-permanent slumber. — Cindy Krischer Goodman, sun-sentinel.com, "Frozen for eternity: Can you really cheat death?," 26 July 2019 Aside from Machado’s 28th homer of the season leading off the fourth and Yastrzemski’s homer on the first pitch in the bottom of the fifth, the game settled into an offensive slumber for a while. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Padres’ faults on full display in loss to Giants," 30 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'slumber.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

13 Nov 2019

Time Traveler for slumber

The first known use of slumber was in the 13th century

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incongruous

not being in agreement or harmony

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