Phrase guide

sleep debt

noun · 1 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.

  • slēp′ dĕt′
  • Australian, New-Zealand, Received-Pronunciation: /ˌsliːp ˈdet/
  • Australian, New-Zealand, Received-Pronunciation, also: /ˌsliːp ˈdɛt/
  • Canada, General-American, Scotland: /ˌslip ˈdɛt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • India: /ˌsliːp ˈɖɛ(ː)ʈ/

1

noun

Meaning 1

The cumulative effect of not obtaining enough sleep, especially as seen as able to be made up for by sleeping more than usual.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sleep deficit

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

5 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: univelka — cumulative effect of not enough sleep
  • Japanese: 睡眠負債 — cumulative effect of not enough sleep
  • Korean: 수면부채 (sumyeonbuchae) — cumulative effect of not enough sleep
  • Polish: deficyt snu — cumulative effect of not enough sleep
  • Portuguese: falta de sono — cumulative effect of not enough sleep