sleep

—| B1-C1 (intermediate to advanced) |—

In North American English, this word typically means:

• VERB (intransitive): to rest unconsciously (see example 1)

• NOUN (uncountable): the act of resting unconsciously (see example 1)

• NOUN (uncountable): the white/yellow/green substance that accumulates in the corners of your eyes after resting unconsciously for a long period of time (e.g. overnight) (see example 2)

EXAMPLES:

1. “How was your sleep last night?” (noun)

   “Oh! It was great! I slept like a log! Thanks for asking. How was yours?” (verb)

   “Not too bad. I woke up a couple times, but overall it was pretty good.”

2. “What’s that under your eyes?”

   “What do you mean?”

   “Did you forget to wipe the sleep from your eyes this morning?”

   “Oh, no! Did I?! Yeah, it looks like I didn’t get it all when I was washing my face this morning. Thanks for letting me know.”

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What kind of sentences can you create with these definitions of “sleep”? Practice writing your own sentences with this word in the comments below.

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ASSOCIATED WORDS:

Some words that are related to “sleep” include:

• ADJECTIVE: sleepy

• ADVERB: sleepily

Some synonyms of “sleep” (definition 1) include:

• IDIOM (informal): to get some Zs

• IDIOM (informal): to catch up on your Zs

• IDIOM (informal): to catch some winks

• IDIOM (informal): to be off to Dreamland

A synonym of “sleep” (definition 3) includes:

• NOUN (slang): eye booger

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