1
: into a state of sleep
2
: into the sleep of death
3
: into a state of inactivity, sluggishness, or indifference
Synonyms
Examples of asleep in a Sentence
Adjective
“Are you asleep?” “No, I'm awake.”
He tries to clean up the house while the kids are asleep.
The cats are asleep on the floor.
She was still asleep at noon.
Recent Examples on the Web
Christie D’zurilla, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
The mother of four immediately called her husband, who was asleep.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 10 Apr. 2024
When a right-wing website called 1819 News exposed his deepest secrets, his life wasn’t the only thing that was destroyed:
When the story hit the next morning, Bubba’s son Carter, a junior at Auburn, was still asleep.
—Seyward Darby, Longreads, 9 Apr. 2024
While everyone was asleep halfway around the world, my phone was silent and my inbox was blissfully empty.
—Teddy Minford, Vogue, 9 Apr. 2024
A couple, Lee and Jacqueline Cook, were asleep in their second-story bedroom when high winds hit their home on Cornell Road.
—Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 7 Apr. 2024
Her mother and younger sister were asleep in another room.
—John Woolfolk, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
Earlier this week, a driver reportedly asleep at the wheel crashed into a construction crew that was working on a bridge embankment, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said.
—Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 28 Mar. 2024
The chef Elizabeth Falkner and the actors Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal were asleep upstairs.
—Kim Severson, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2024
Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 18 Mar. 2024
Whether from a mental health disorder or periodic stress, managing anxiety—and learning ways to fall back asleep—can be a critical part of maintaining your overall health.
—Mark Gurarie, Health, 23 Sep. 2023
Panel three: Garfield has fallen back asleep, a tell-tale Z suspended above his head.
—Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2023
Mike Barber was helping his 8-year-old son fall back asleep.
—Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 31 Aug. 2023
But be careful napping within five hours of your bedtime, Feinsilver cautions, as this may disrupt your ability to fall asleep later.
—Amanda MacMillan, Outside Online, 15 Sep. 2014
The way the teenager glides on the football field gives Jones chills, just like the kid’s ability to fall asleep nearly anywhere off it.
—Jonathan Abrams, New York Times, 19 Sep. 2022
Heather Dawes took a photo of father and son, making sure not to awaken one-year-old Finis, who had fallen asleep strapped to her chest at the start of the hike.
—Alex Temblador, Outside Online, 11 Aug. 2021
To launch the new theme, there’ll be a new program of four 20-minute sessions to help users relax and fall asleep more easily.
—Victoria Song, The Verge, 5 Jan. 2023
Adjective
Come June 17, 1994, O.J. led authorities on that slow-speed chase in the white Ford Bronco after spending the previous night at Robert’s house, where Kim and Kourtney had also been asleep.
—Christie D’zurilla, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
The mother of four immediately called her husband, who was asleep.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 10 Apr. 2024
When a right-wing website called 1819 News exposed his deepest secrets, his life wasn’t the only thing that was destroyed:
When the story hit the next morning, Bubba’s son Carter, a junior at Auburn, was still asleep.
—Seyward Darby, Longreads, 9 Apr. 2024
While everyone was asleep halfway around the world, my phone was silent and my inbox was blissfully empty.
—Teddy Minford, Vogue, 9 Apr. 2024
A couple, Lee and Jacqueline Cook, were asleep in their second-story bedroom when high winds hit their home on Cornell Road.
—Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 7 Apr. 2024
Her mother and younger sister were asleep in another room.
—John Woolfolk, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
Earlier this week, a driver reportedly asleep at the wheel crashed into a construction crew that was working on a bridge embankment, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said.
—Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 28 Mar. 2024
The chef Elizabeth Falkner and the actors Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal were asleep upstairs.
—Kim Severson, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2024
Adverb
Spears also included a video clip of her husband fast asleep while her show played on a TV screen in the background.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 18 Mar. 2024
Whether from a mental health disorder or periodic stress, managing anxiety—and learning ways to fall back asleep—can be a critical part of maintaining your overall health.
—Mark Gurarie, Health, 23 Sep. 2023
Panel three: Garfield has fallen back asleep, a tell-tale Z suspended above his head.
—Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2023
Mike Barber was helping his 8-year-old son fall back asleep.
—Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 31 Aug. 2023
But be careful napping within five hours of your bedtime, Feinsilver cautions, as this may disrupt your ability to fall asleep later.
—Amanda MacMillan, Outside Online, 15 Sep. 2014
The way the teenager glides on the football field gives Jones chills, just like the kid’s ability to fall asleep nearly anywhere off it.
—Jonathan Abrams, New York Times, 19 Sep. 2022
Heather Dawes took a photo of father and son, making sure not to awaken one-year-old Finis, who had fallen asleep strapped to her chest at the start of the hike.
—Alex Temblador, Outside Online, 11 Aug. 2021
To launch the new theme, there’ll be a new program of four 20-minute sessions to help users relax and fall asleep more easily.
—Victoria Song, The Verge, 5 Jan. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'asleep.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near asleep
Cite this Entry
“Asleep.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/asleep. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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