sleep rough
Of a homeless person, to sleep outdoors, particularly as opposed to sleeping in a shelter or similar.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He has nowhere to go and sleeps rough in the park.”
“Many people sleep rough because the local shelters are completely full.”
“It is very dangerous to sleep rough when the temperature drops below freezing.”
“The charity provides hot meals and blankets to people who are forced to sleep rough during the winter months.”
“After losing his job and his apartment in the same week, he spent several nights sleeping rough under the city bridge.”
“The documentary follows a young woman who had to sleep rough for a month before finding a permanent home.”
“Social workers often walk through the train station late at night to check on anyone sleeping rough on the benches.”
“Despite the city's efforts to expand emergency shelter capacity, many vulnerable individuals still sleep rough in the shadows of the downtown business district.”
From *sleep* (verb) + *rough* (adverb), denoting the act of sleeping in a rough manner. The term refers to the physical discomfort of sleeping outdoors or in unsheltered conditions.
- 01
beauty sleep
Originally, sleep taken before midnight, on the belief that early sleep hours conduce to beauty and health; now (chiefly humorous), sleep at any time needed by one to stay beautiful; (countable) an instance of such sleep.
- 02
big sleep
Death.
- 03
cry oneself to sleep
To cry until or to fall asleep.
- 04
cut up rough
To become angry; to make a fuss.
- 05
eat, breathe, and sleep
To devote one's time obsessively to.
- 06
eternal sleep
Death
- 07
fox sleep
Feigned sleep while actually alert.
- 08
go to sleep
To be affected by paresthesia; to go numb.
Last updated August 10, 2026