asleep

English

Etymology

From Middle English aslepe, equivalent to a- (“in, on”) +‎ sleep.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈsliːp/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːp
• Hyphenation: asleep

Adjective

asleep (not comparable) (predicative only)

A camel asleep (1)

1. In a state of sleep; also, broadly, resting.

   I was asleep when you called.

   Never disturb a man asleep.

2. (slang) Inattentive.

   How could you miss that? Were you asleep?

   • 1997, George Carlin, Brain Droppings‎^[1], New York: Hyperion Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 83:

     The reason they call it the American Dream is because you have to be asleep to believe it.

3. (of a body part) Having a numb or prickling sensation accompanied by a degree of unresponsiveness.

   My arm fell asleep. You know, like pins and needles.

   • 2003, Norma L. Bronoski, Nuns Don't Dance:

     Louisa sat in the car crying, until her foot fell asleep. She shook her foot violently, afraid the numbness would turn to frostbite.

4. (euphemistic) Dead.

Usage notes

• Not used in attributive position; sleeping is used instead.

  That dog is asleep. — Where is the sleeping dog?

Antonyms

• awake

Derived terms

• asleep at the switch
• asleep at the wheel
• dead asleep
• every shut eye isn't asleep
• fall asleep
• fall asleep in the Lord
• fast asleep
• half-asleep
• sound asleep
• unasleep

 

Translations

in a state of sleep

• Afrikaans: aan die slaap
• Arabic: نَائِم (nāʔim)
• Armenian: քնած (hy) (kʻnac)
• Azerbaijani: yatmış
• Belarusian: спя́чы (spjáčy)
• Bikol Central: turog (bcl)
• Bulgarian: заспал (bg) (zaspal), спящ (bg) (spjašt)
• Catalan: adormit (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 睡著的 (zh), 睡着的 (shuìzháo de), 熟睡 (zh) (shúshuì)

• Dutch: slapend (nl)
• Finnish: unessa (fi), nukuksissa (fi), nukkumassa (fi); nukuksiin, nukkuva (fi)
• French: endormi (fr)
• German: use a form of the verb schlafen (de), schlafend (de)
• Greek: κοιμισμένος (el) (koimisménos), αποκοιμισμένος (el) (apokoimisménos)
• Hebrew: ישן (he) (yashén)
• Hungarian: alszik (hu)
• Ido: dormanta (io)
• Irish: i do chodladh
• Italian: addormentato (it)
• Japanese: 寝ている (ja) (ねている, nete iru), 眠っている (ja) (ねむっている, nemutte iru), 熟睡 (ja) (じゅくすい, jukusui)
• Khmer: ដេកលក់ (deɛk lʊək)
• Korean: 잠들다 (ko) (jamdeulda)
• Latin: use a form of the verb dormiō, dormiēns
• Macedonian: заспан (zaspan)
• Maltese: rieqed
• Marathi: निद्रित (nidrit), झोपेत (jhopet)
• Norman: endormi
• Old English: use the verb slǣpan, slǣpende
• Pashto: ويده (ps) (widë)
• Persian: خوابیده (fa) (xâbide)
• Polish: uśpiony, śpiący (pl)
• Portuguese: dormindo
• Romanian: adormit (ro)
• Russian: спя́щий (ru) (spjáščij) (to be asleep - спать (spatʹ)), усну́вший (ru) (usnúvšij) (to fall asleep - усну́ть (usnútʹ), засну́ть (zasnútʹ))
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: spicy

• Spanish: dormido (es)
• Tagalog: tulog
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Ukrainian: спля́чий (spljáčyj)
• Urdu: خوابیدہ (xwābidah or xābidah)
• Waray-Waray: turog
• Welsh: ynghwsg

inattentive

• Catalan: adormit (ca)
• Finnish: unessa (fi), nukuksissa (fi)
• Greek: κοιμισμένος (el) (koimisménos)
• Hebrew: ישן (he) (yashén), רדום (radúm)
• Italian: addormentato (it)
• Latin: cubitus, cubo
• Pashto: ويده (ps) (widë)
• Portuguese: dormindo
• Russian: вя́лый (ru) (vjályj)
• Spanish: dormido (es)

numb or prickling

• Bulgarian: изтръпнал (bg) (iztrǎpnal)
• Catalan: adormit (ca)
• Finnish: puutunut (fi), tunnoton (fi), turta (fi)
• German: eingeschlafen (de)
• Greek: μουδιασμένος (el) (moudiasménos)
• Hebrew: רדום (radúm)
• Hungarian: elzsibbadt, el van zsibbadva
• Japanese: 痺れた (ja) (しびれた, shibireta)
• Korean: 저리다 (ko) (jeorida)
• Maori: kerekerewai, kēkerewai, mātorutoru
• Navajo: yiisííʼ
• Pashto: ويده (ps) (widë)
• Portuguese: dormente (pt)
• Russian: затёкший (ru) (zatjókšij)
• Spanish: dormido (es)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Chipewyan: ^{(please verify)} thetį
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: ^{(please verify)} nivistî (ku), ^{(please verify)} razayî (ku), ^{(please verify)} raketî (ku), di ^{(please verify)} xew (ku)

• Maltese: ^{(please verify)} rieqed

See also

• pins and needles

Anagrams

• Sapele, elapse, please, sapele