Phrase guide

sleep in

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.

  • slēp′ ĭn′
  • Australian, India, Received-Pronunciation: /ˌsliːp ˈɪn/
  • AuE Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada, General-American, Scotland: /ˌslip ˈɪn/
  • New-Zealand: /ˌsliːp ˈən/

1

verb

Meaning 1

To sleep late; to go on sleeping past one's customary or planned hour.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, intransitive

Examples

  • On a rainy Saturday, after a busy week at work, he closed the curtains and decided to sleep in.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: lie in

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see sleep, in.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • She didn't come home last night — her bed hasn't been slept in.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

sleep later than usual or customary

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • On Sundays, I sleep in

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sleep late

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: sleep, kip, slumber, log Z's, catch some Z's

4

verb

Meaning 4

live in the house where one works

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • our babysitter lives in, as it is too far to commute for her

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: live in

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: board

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

35 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 睡懶覺 /睡懒觉 (shuì lǎnjiào) — to sleep late
  • Chinese Mandarin: 睡過頭 /睡过头 (shuìguòtóu) — to sleep late
  • Czech: zaspat — to sleep late
  • Dutch: uitslapen — to sleep late
  • Dutch: verslapen (oversleep) — to sleep late
  • Esperanto: satdormi — to sleep late
  • Esperanto: fordormi (oversleep) — to sleep late
  • Finnish: nukkua pommiin — to sleep late
  • French: faire la grasse matinée — to sleep late
  • Galician: dormir até tarde — to sleep late
  • German: ausschlafen — to sleep late
  • German: verschlafen (oversleep) — to sleep late
  • Hungarian: ágyban marad — to sleep late
  • Hungarian: tovább alszik — to sleep late
  • Hungarian: sokáig alszik — to sleep late
  • Hungarian: kialussza magát — to sleep late
  • Japanese: 寝坊する (nebō suru) — to sleep late
  • Japanese: 寝過ごす (nesugosu) — to sleep late
  • Korean: 늦잠을 자다 (neutjam-eul jada) — to sleep late
  • Latvian: izgulēties — to sleep late
  • Norwegian Bokmål: oversove — to sleep late
  • Norwegian Bokmål: sove ut — to sleep late
  • Polish: but see wysypiać się — to sleep late
  • Polish: wyspać się — to sleep late
  • Portuguese: dormir até tarde — to sleep late
  • Russian: проспа́ть (prospátʹ) — to sleep late
  • Russian: вы́спаться (výspatʹsja) — to sleep late
  • Russian: отоспа́ться (otospátʹsja) — to sleep late
  • Serbo-Croatian: zaspati — to sleep late
  • Spanish: habérsele pegado a uno las sábanas — to sleep late
  • Spanish: dormir hasta tarde — to sleep late
  • Swedish: sova ut — to sleep late
  • Venetan: dormir fin tardi — to sleep late
  • Vietnamese: ngủ nướng — to sleep late
  • Welsh: cysgu'n hwyr — to sleep late