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asleep

adj.
US //əˈsɫip// UK //ɐslˈiːp// asleep
  1. 1 sleeping (adj.)
    A2 Elementary

    sleeping and not awake.

    in a state of sleep; used as a predicative adjective following a verb like 'be' or 'fall'.

    Example

    The children were fast asleep by the time we got home.

    Example

    The exhausted hikers fell asleep almost immediately after setting up their tents, oblivious to the storm brewing outside.

    Usage

    Always used after a verb (predicative); never placed directly before a noun.
    Pitfall
    The asleep baby is very cute.
    The sleeping baby is very cute.

    You cannot use 'asleep' before a noun. Use 'sleeping' before the noun, or put 'asleep' after the verb: 'The baby is asleep.'

  2. 2 numb or tingling (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Medicine

    when a part of your body, like a foot, feels tingly because you sat on it too long.

    referring to a limb experiencing a numb or prickling sensation due to temporary nerve compression.

    Example

    I sat on my leg for so long that my foot is asleep.

    Example

    He tried to stand up quickly but stumbled because his left leg was completely asleep from sitting cross-legged on the floor.
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  1. 3 not paying attention (adj.)
    C1 Advanced Informal

    not noticing what is happening around you.

    inattentive or failing to react to a situation; often used in the phrase 'asleep at the wheel'.

    Example

    The security guard was asleep on the job and didn't see the thief.

    Example

    The management team was clearly asleep at the wheel while their competitors were busy capturing the entire local market.

    Teacher's tip

    Commonly used in the idiomatic expression 'asleep at the wheel' to describe professional or situational negligence.
  2. 4 dead (adj.)
    C2 Proficiency Formal Literary

    a very soft way to say that someone has died.

    a euphemistic term for being deceased, implying a state of eternal rest.

    Example

    The old poet is now asleep in the churchyard.

    Example

    The inscription on the headstone noted that the soldier was now asleep in the arms of his creator.

    Teacher's tip

    This sense is highly sensitive and mostly found in older literature or religious contexts; use 'passed away' for a standard modern euphemism.
Origin

From Middle English aslepe, equivalent to a- (“in, on”) + sleep.

Idioms5 entries

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