# sleep rough

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/sleep-rough
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Of a homeless person, to sleep outdoors, particularly as opposed to sleeping in a shelter or similar.

## Examples

- 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.

## Origin

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.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.