slumber

verb slum·ber \ ˈsləm-bər \

Updated on: 16 May 2018

Definition of slumber

slumbered; slumbering play \ˈsləm-b(ə-)riŋ\

intransitive verb

1 a : to sleep lightly : doze

b : sleep

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

b : to lie dormant or latent

—

slumberer

play \ˈsləm-bər-ər\ noun

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Examples of slumber in a Sentence

she slumbered for hours while the train rolled on
slumbering restlessly in the tropical heat

Recent Examples of slumber from the Web

Infants giggle, slumber in their mother’s arms and strain to turn over in play gyms.

— justin jouvenal, Washington Post, "Raising babies behind bars," 11 May 2018
Infants giggle, slumber in their mother's arms and strain to turn over in play gyms.

— justin jouvenal, chicagotribune.com, "This central Illinois prison is allowing mothers to raise their babies behind bars. But is the radical experiment a good idea?," 11 May 2018
A day later, his offense slumbered through seven innings at Chase Field.

— andy mccullough, latimes.com, "Dodgers get to Diamondbacks' bullpen in the eighth in 5-2 win," 4 May 2018
The Dodgers slumbered through half the game, awakening with a bolt of energy that revitalized the fans and players within the grand old ballpark.

— bill shaikin, latimes.com, "Dodgers cash in gamble by Austin Barnes," 23 Apr. 2018
The pair needed a secret place to slumber and a way to stay sane.

— jennifer levitz, WSJ, "Where’s Your Teen Sleeping? Check Chuck E. Cheese, Then Walmart," 3 Apr. 2018
And governments, for now, are slumbering, not even on track to hit their modest Paris commitments.

— david roberts, Vox, "Shell’s vision of a net-zero carbon world by 2070, explained," 30 Mar. 2018
While the gal pals are not-so-slumbering, Archie meets Jug at Pop’s to do more of Hiram’s dirty work — in this case, telling Jughead that demolition on SSHS is set to start this very week.

— jessica macleish, Teen Vogue, ""Riverdale" Recap Season 2 Episode 16: Veronica Lodge for President," 22 Mar. 2018
More broadly, the lazy river is a sign of American indolence, of our collective postindustrial lassitude, the nation that once tamed the Mississippi now slumbering poolside, scrolling through Instagram.

— alexander nazaryan, Newsweek, "What Is College Good For? Absolutely Nothing, Say Republicans (and Some Democrats)," 1 Feb. 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of slumber

Middle English slomren, slombren, frequentative of slumen to doze, probably from slume slumber, from Old English slūma; akin to Middle High German slumen to slumber

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year