Word
asleep
US/əˈsɫip/
UK/ɐslˈiːp/
Definitions
01sleeping
A2 · Elementary
adj. sleeping and not awake.
adj. in a state of sleep; used as a predicative adjective following a verb like 'be' or 'fall'.
“The children were fast asleep by the time we got home.”
“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.'
Synonyms
Antonyms
02numb or tingling
B2 · Upper Intermediate Medicine
adj. when a part of your body, like a foot, feels tingly because you sat on it too long.
adj. referring to a limb experiencing a numb or prickling sensation due to temporary nerve compression.
Español:dormido
“I sat on my leg for so long that my foot is asleep.”
“He tried to stand up quickly but stumbled because his left leg was completely asleep from sitting cross-legged on the floor.”
03not paying attention
C1 · Advanced Informal
adj. not noticing what is happening around you.
adj. inattentive or failing to react to a situation; often used in the phrase 'asleep at the wheel'.
Español:dormido
“The security guard was asleep on the job and didn't see the thief.”
“The management team was clearly asleep at the wheel while their competitors were busy capturing the entire local market.”
Teaching tip
Commonly used in the idiomatic expression 'asleep at the wheel' to describe professional or situational negligence.
Synonyms
04dead
C2 · Proficiency Formal · Literary
adj. a very soft way to say that someone has died.
adj. a euphemistic term for being deceased, implying a state of eternal rest.
“The old poet is now asleep in the churchyard.”
“The inscription on the headstone noted that the soldier was now asleep in the arms of his creator.”
Teaching tip
This sense is highly sensitive and mostly found in older literature or religious contexts; use 'passed away' for a standard modern euphemism.
Antonyms
Confusables
Asleep describes the state of being in slumber, while sleepy describes the physical urge or desire to begin sleeping.
RememberAsleep is the destination; sleepy is the journey there.
Etymology
From Middle English aslepe, equivalent to a- (“in, on”) + sleep.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A2 KeyIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.3.0–4.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 2.0–2.524–43TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.225–549
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- A2 · ElementaryOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/asleep
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0