Phrase guide

fall asleep

verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To pass from a state of wakefulness into sleep.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To be affected by paresthesia; to go numb.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, idiomatic

Examples

  • My left leg has fallen asleep!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To die (often seen on gravestones).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: euphemistic, poetic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

change from a waking to a sleeping state

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he always falls asleep during lectures

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dope off, flake out, drift off, nod off, drop off, doze off, drowse off

Antonyms: wake up

Narrower terms: zonk out

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

177 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: aan die slaap raak — to pass into sleep
  • Albanian: fjeta — to pass into sleep
  • Gheg Albanian: tung — to pass into sleep
  • Arabic: غَلَّبَ النُعَاس (ḡallaba n-nuʕās) — to pass into sleep
  • Arabic: نَامَ (nāma) — to pass into sleep
  • Arabic: اِسْتَغْرَقَ فِي النَّوْم (istaḡraqa fī n-nawm) — to pass into sleep
  • Arabic: غَفَا (ḡafā) — to pass into sleep
  • Arabic: نام (nām) — to pass into sleep
  • Arabic: غفي (ḡifi) — to pass into sleep
  • Armenian: քնել (kʻnel) — to pass into sleep
  • Asturian: dormir — to pass into sleep
  • Asturian: adormecer — to pass into sleep
  • Asturian: apigazar — to pass into sleep
  • Azerbaijani: yuxulamaq — to pass into sleep
  • Azerbaijani: uyumaq — to pass into sleep
  • Basque: lo gelditu — to pass into sleep
  • Belarusian: засыпа́ць (zasypácʹ) — to pass into sleep
  • Belarusian: засну́ць (zasnúcʹ) — to pass into sleep
  • Bulgarian: задрямвам (zadrjamvam) — to pass into sleep
  • Bulgarian: заспи́вам (zaspívam) — to pass into sleep
  • Bulgarian: заспя́ (zaspjá) — to pass into sleep
  • Catalan: adormir-se — to pass into sleep
  • Cherokee: ᎦᏢᏍᎦ (gatlvsga) — to pass into sleep
  • Chinese Mandarin: 睡著 /睡着 (shuìzháo) — to pass into sleep
  • Czech: usínat — to pass into sleep
  • Czech: usnout — to pass into sleep
  • Danish: falde i søvn — to pass into sleep
  • Danish: sove ind — to pass into sleep
  • Dutch: in slaap vallen — to pass into sleep
  • Dutch: inslapen — to pass into sleep
  • Dutch: indutten — to pass into sleep
  • Esperanto: ekdormi — to pass into sleep
  • Esperanto: endormiĝi — to pass into sleep
  • Estonian: magama jääma — to pass into sleep
  • Faroese: sovna — to pass into sleep
  • Finnish: nukahtaa — to pass into sleep
  • French: s'endormir — to pass into sleep
  • Galician: adormecer — to pass into sleep
  • Georgian: დაიძინებს (daiʒinebs) — to pass into sleep
  • Georgian: ჩაიძინებს (čaiʒinebs) — to pass into sleep
  • German: einschlafen — to pass into sleep
  • German: einpennen — to pass into sleep
  • Greek: αποκοιμιέμαι (apokoimiémai) — to pass into sleep
  • Ancient Greek: ἀποκοιμῶμαι (apokoimômai) — to pass into sleep
  • Ancient Greek: δαρθάνω (darthánō) — to pass into sleep
  • Ancient Greek: καθυπνόω (kathupnóō) — to pass into sleep
  • Hebrew: נרדם (nirdám) — to pass into sleep
  • Hindi: सो जाना (so jānā) — to pass into sleep
  • Hindi: नींद में पड़ना (nīnd mẽ paṛnā) — to pass into sleep
  • Hindi: नींद आना (nīnd ānā) — to pass into sleep
  • Hungarian: elalszik — to pass into sleep
  • Hungarian: álomba merül — to pass into sleep
  • Icelandic: sofna — to pass into sleep
  • Icelandic: falla í svefn — to pass into sleep
  • Ido: dormeskar — to pass into sleep
  • Indonesian: ketiduran — to pass into sleep
  • Ingrian: nukahtaa — to pass into sleep
  • Ingrian: nukahtaissa — to pass into sleep
  • Irish: téigh a chodladh — to pass into sleep
  • Italian: addormentarsi — to pass into sleep
  • Japanese: 寝る (neru) — to pass into sleep
  • Japanese: 寝静まる (neshizumaru) — to pass into sleep
  • Japanese: 眠りに落ちる (nemuri ni ochiru) — to pass into sleep
  • Japanese: 寝入る (neiru) — to pass into sleep
  • Japanese: 寝付く (netsuku) — to pass into sleep
  • Kazakh: ұйқыға кету (ūiqyğa ketu) — to pass into sleep
  • Khmer: ដេកលក់ (deek lŭək) — to pass into sleep
  • Korean: 잠들다 (jamdeulda) — to pass into sleep
  • Korean: 잠이 들다 (jam-i deulda) — to pass into sleep
  • Central Kurdish: خەو لێکەوتن (xew lêkewtin) — to pass into sleep
  • Kyrgyz: уктоо (uktoo) — to pass into sleep
  • Kyrgyz: уйкуга кетүү (uykuga ketüü) — to pass into sleep
  • Lao: ນອນຫລັບ (nǭn lap) — to pass into sleep
  • Lao: ຫລັບ (lap) — to pass into sleep
  • Lao: ເຊືອບ (sư̄ap) — to pass into sleep
  • Latin: addormiō — to pass into sleep
  • Latin: obdormiō — to pass into sleep
  • Latin: addormiscō — to pass into sleep
  • Latin: obdormiscō — to pass into sleep
  • Latvian: aizmigt — to pass into sleep
  • Lithuanian: užmigti — to pass into sleep
  • Macedonian: дреме (dreme) — to pass into sleep
  • Macedonian: дремне pf or задреме (dremne) — to pass into sleep
  • Macedonian: заспива (zaspiva) — to pass into sleep
  • Macedonian: заспие (zaspie) — to pass into sleep
  • Mongolian: унтчих (untčix) — to pass into sleep
  • Mongolian: унтах (untax) — to pass into sleep
  • Navajo: iiłháásh — to pass into sleep
  • Neapolitan: s'addorme — to pass into sleep
  • Norwegian Bokmål: falle i søvn — to pass into sleep
  • Norwegian Bokmål: sovne — to pass into sleep
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: falla i svevn — to pass into sleep
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: sovna — to pass into sleep
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: adormecer — to pass into sleep
  • Dari: بَه خواب رَفْتَن (ba xāb raftan) — to pass into sleep
  • Iranian Persian: بِه خواب رَفْتَن (be xâb raftan) — to pass into sleep
  • Iranian Persian: خوابَش بُرْدَن (xâbaš bordan) — to pass into sleep
  • Polish: zasypiać — to pass into sleep
  • Polish: zasnąć — to pass into sleep
  • Polish: usypiać — to pass into sleep
  • Polish: usnąć — to pass into sleep
  • Portuguese: adormecer — to pass into sleep
  • Quechua: siriy — to pass into sleep
  • Romanian: adormi — to pass into sleep
  • Russian: засыпа́ть (zasypátʹ) — to pass into sleep
  • Russian: засну́ть (zasnútʹ) — to pass into sleep
  • Russian: усну́ть (usnútʹ) — to pass into sleep
  • Northern Sami: nohkkat — to pass into sleep
  • Serbo-Croatian: за̀спати — to pass into sleep
  • Serbo-Croatian: zàspati — to pass into sleep
  • Slovak: zaspávať — to pass into sleep
  • Slovak: zaspať — to pass into sleep
  • Slovak: usínať — to pass into sleep
  • Slovak: usnúť — to pass into sleep
  • Slovene: zaspati — to pass into sleep
  • Spanish: adormecerse — to pass into sleep
  • Spanish: dormirse — to pass into sleep
  • Spanish: quedarse dormido — to pass into sleep
  • Spanish: rolearse — to pass into sleep
  • Spanish: adormirse — to pass into sleep
  • Spanish: quedarse jato — to pass into sleep
  • Sranan Tongo: dyonko — to pass into sleep
  • Swedish: somna — to pass into sleep
  • Swedish: falla i sömn — to pass into sleep
  • Tagalog: makatulog — to pass into sleep
  • Tajik: хоб рафтан (xob raftan) — to pass into sleep
  • Tajik: хобаш бурдан (xobaš burdan) — to pass into sleep
  • Tamil: துங்கிப்போ (tuṅkippō) — to pass into sleep
  • Thai: หลับไป (làp bpai) — to pass into sleep
  • Thai: โงก (ngôok) — to pass into sleep
  • Thai: หลับ (làp) — to pass into sleep
  • Turkish: uyuyakalmak — to pass into sleep
  • Ukrainian: засипа́ти (zasypáty) — to pass into sleep
  • Ukrainian: засина́ти (zasynáty) — to pass into sleep
  • Ukrainian: засну́ти (zasnúty) — to pass into sleep
  • Uzbek: uxlab qolmoq — to pass into sleep
  • Vietnamese: ngủ gục — to pass into sleep
  • Volapük: slipikön — to pass into sleep
  • Yiddish: אַנטשלאָפֿן (antshlofn) — to pass into sleep
  • Azerbaijani: uyuşmaq — to be affected by paresthesia
  • Azerbaijani: üyüşmək — to be affected by paresthesia
  • Azerbaijani: hissizləşmək — to be affected by paresthesia
  • Azerbaijani: keyimək — to be affected by paresthesia
  • Azerbaijani: keyləşmək — to be affected by paresthesia
  • Catalan: adormir-se — to be affected by paresthesia
  • Estonian: ära surema — to be affected by paresthesia
  • Finnish: puutua — to be affected by paresthesia
  • German: einschlafen — to be affected by paresthesia
  • Hungarian: elzsibbad — to be affected by paresthesia
  • Hungarian: elgémberedik — to be affected by paresthesia
  • Hungarian: elmacskásodik — to be affected by paresthesia
  • Hungarian: megmacskásodik — to be affected by paresthesia
  • Latin: torpescō — to be affected by paresthesia
  • Norwegian Bokmål: dovne bort — to be affected by paresthesia
  • Norwegian Bokmål: sovne — to be affected by paresthesia
  • Polish: mieć mrowienie — to be affected by paresthesia
  • Swedish: somna — to be affected by paresthesia
  • Tamil: மரத்து போ (marattu pō) — to be affected by paresthesia
  • Azerbaijani: uyumaq — euphemism for “to die”
  • Dutch: ontslapen — euphemism for “to die”
  • Faroese: sovna burtur — euphemism for “to die”
  • Finnish: nukkua pois — euphemism for “to die”
  • German: entschlafen — euphemism for “to die”
  • Hungarian: elhuny — euphemism for “to die”
  • Hungarian: jobblétre szenderül — euphemism for “to die”
  • Italian: spegnersi — euphemism for “to die”
  • Italian: spirare — euphemism for “to die”
  • Italian: addormentarsi — euphemism for “to die”
  • Japanese: 眠る (nemuru) — euphemism for “to die”
  • Japanese: 永眠する (eimin suru) — euphemism for “to die”
  • Norwegian Bokmål: sovne inn — euphemism for “to die”
  • Polish: spać snem wiecznym — euphemism for “to die”
  • Romanian: adormi — euphemism for “to die”
  • Russian: почи́ть (počítʹ) — euphemism for “to die”
  • Russian: опочи́ть (opočítʹ) — euphemism for “to die”
  • Slovak: zosnúť — euphemism for “to die”
  • Swedish: somna in — euphemism for “to die”