Meanings
verbfall asleep (third-person singular simple present falls asleep, present participle falling asleep, simple past fell asleep, past participle fallen asleep)
present singular third person falls asleep · participle present falling asleep · past fell asleep · participle past fallen asleep
- To pass from a state of wakefulness into sleep.
She wakened in sharp panic, bewildered by the grotesquerie of some half-remembered dream in contrast with the harshness of inclement fact, drowsily realizing that since she had fallen asleep it had come on to rain smartly out of a shrouded sky.
1914 November, Louis Joseph Vance, “An Outsider […]”, in Munsey’s Magazine, volume LIII, number II, New York, N.Y.: The Frank A[ndrew] Munsey Company, […], published 1915, →OCLC, chapter II (Burglary), page 378, column 1Synonyms: drift off
- euphemisticpoeticTo die (often seen on gravestones).
And he kneeled downe, and cried with a loud voice, Lord lay not this sinne to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleepe. And Saul was consenting vnto his death.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 7:60Synonyms: drop off, go to sleep, nod off, pass, pass away, pass over, crash out, doze off
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo pass from a state of wakefulness into sleep.
Similar
verbTo die (often seen on gravestones).
More synonyms by meaning
verbchange from a waking to a sleeping state
Opposite
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Afrikaans aan die slaap raak
- aan die slaap raakto pass into sleep
Ancient Greek ἀποκοιμῶμαι, δαρθάνω
- ἀποκοιμῶμαι (apokoimômai)to pass into sleep
- δαρθάνω (darthánō)to pass into sleep
- καθυπνόω (kathupnóō)to pass into sleep
Arabic غَلَّبَ النُعَاس, نَامَ
- غَلَّبَ النُعَاس (ḡallaba n-nuʕās)to pass into sleep
- نَامَ (nāma)to pass into sleep
- اِسْتَغْرَقَ فِي النَّوْم (istaḡraqa fī n-nawm)to pass into sleep
- غَفَا (ḡafā)to pass into sleep
Basque lo gelditu
- lo geldituto pass into sleep
Bulgarian задрямвам, заспи́вам
- задрямвам (zadrjamvam)to pass into sleep
- заспи́вам (zaspívam)to pass into sleep
- заспя́ (zaspjá)to pass into sleep
Catalan adormir-se, adormir-se
- adormir-seto pass into sleep
- adormir-seto be affected by paresthesia
Chinese Mandarin 睡著 /睡着
- 睡著 /睡着 (shuìzháo)to pass into sleep
Czech usínat, usnout
- usínatto pass into sleep
- usnoutto pass into sleep
Danish falde i søvn, sove ind
- falde i søvnto pass into sleep
- sove indto pass into sleep
Dutch in slaap vallen, inslapen
- in slaap vallento pass into sleep
- inslapento pass into sleep
- induttento pass into sleep
- ontslapeneuphemism for “to die”
Esperanto ekdormi, endormiĝi
- ekdormito pass into sleep
- endormiĝito pass into sleep
Estonian magama jääma, ära surema
- magama jäämato pass into sleep
- ära suremato be affected by paresthesia
Finnish nukahtaa, puutua
- nukahtaato pass into sleep
- puutuato be affected by paresthesia
- nukkua poiseuphemism for “to die”
French s'endormir
- s'endormirto pass into sleep
German einschlafen, einpennen
- einschlafento pass into sleep
- einpennento pass into sleep
- einschlafento be affected by paresthesia
- entschlafeneuphemism for “to die”
Greek αποκοιμιέμαι
- αποκοιμιέμαι (apokoimiémai)to pass into sleep
Hebrew נרדם
- נרדם (nirdám)to pass into sleep
Hindi सो जाना, नींद में पड़ना
- सो जाना (so jānā)to pass into sleep
- नींद में पड़ना (nīnd mẽ paṛnā)to pass into sleep
- नींद आना (nīnd ānā)to pass into sleep
Hungarian elalszik, álomba merül
- elalszikto pass into sleep
- álomba merülto pass into sleep
- elzsibbadto be affected by paresthesia
- elgémberedikto be affected by paresthesia
- elmacskásodikto be affected by paresthesia
- megmacskásodikto be affected by paresthesia
- elhunyeuphemism for “to die”
- jobblétre szenderüleuphemism for “to die”
Icelandic sofna, falla í svefn
- sofnato pass into sleep
- falla í svefnto pass into sleep
Indonesian ketiduran
- ketiduranto pass into sleep
Irish téigh a chodladh
- téigh a chodladhto pass into sleep
Italian addormentarsi, spegnersi
- addormentarsito pass into sleep
- spegnersieuphemism for “to die”
- spirareeuphemism for “to die”
- addormentarsieuphemism for “to die”
Japanese 寝る, 寝静まる
- 寝る (neru)to pass into sleep
- 寝静まる (neshizumaru)to pass into sleep
- 眠りに落ちる (nemuri ni ochiru)to pass into sleep
- 寝入る (neiru)to pass into sleep
- 寝付く (netsuku)to pass into sleep
- 眠る (nemuru)euphemism for “to die”
- 永眠する (eimin suru)euphemism for “to die”
Korean 잠들다, 잠이 들다
- 잠들다 (jamdeulda)to pass into sleep
- 잠이 들다 (jam-i deulda)to pass into sleep
Latin addormiō, obdormiō
- addormiōto pass into sleep
- obdormiōto pass into sleep
- addormiscōto pass into sleep
- obdormiscōto pass into sleep
- torpescōto be affected by paresthesia
Latvian aizmigt
- aizmigtto pass into sleep
Lithuanian užmigti
- užmigtito pass into sleep
Norwegian Bokmål falle i søvn, sovne
- falle i søvnto pass into sleep
- sovneto pass into sleep
- dovne bortto be affected by paresthesia
- sovneto be affected by paresthesia
- sovne inneuphemism for “to die”
Polish zasypiać, zasnąć
- zasypiaćto pass into sleep
- zasnąćto pass into sleep
- usypiaćto pass into sleep
- usnąćto pass into sleep
- mieć mrowienieto be affected by paresthesia
- spać snem wiecznymeuphemism for “to die”
Portuguese adormecer
- adormecerto pass into sleep
Romanian adormi, adormi
- adormito pass into sleep
- adormieuphemism for “to die”
Russian засыпа́ть, засну́ть
- засыпа́ть (zasypátʹ)to pass into sleep
- засну́ть (zasnútʹ)to pass into sleep
- усну́ть (usnútʹ)to pass into sleep
- почи́ть (počítʹ)euphemism for “to die”
- опочи́ть (opočítʹ)euphemism for “to die”
Slovak zaspávať, zaspať
- zaspávaťto pass into sleep
- zaspaťto pass into sleep
- usínaťto pass into sleep
- usnúťto pass into sleep
- zosnúťeuphemism for “to die”
Spanish adormecerse, dormirse
- adormecerseto pass into sleep
- dormirseto pass into sleep
- quedarse dormidoto pass into sleep
- rolearseto pass into sleep
- adormirseto pass into sleep
- quedarse jatoto pass into sleep
Swedish somna, falla i sömn
- somnato pass into sleep
- falla i sömnto pass into sleep
- somnato be affected by paresthesia
- somna ineuphemism for “to die”
Tagalog makatulog
- makatulogto pass into sleep
Tamil துங்கிப்போ, மரத்து போ
- துங்கிப்போ (tuṅkippō)to pass into sleep
- மரத்து போ (marattu pō)to be affected by paresthesia
Thai หลับไป, โงก
- หลับไป (làp bpai)to pass into sleep
- โงก (ngôok)to pass into sleep
- หลับ (làp)to pass into sleep
Turkish uyuyakalmak
- uyuyakalmakto pass into sleep
Ukrainian засипа́ти, засина́ти
- засипа́ти (zasypáty)to pass into sleep
- засина́ти (zasynáty)to pass into sleep
- засну́ти (zasnúty)to pass into sleep
Vietnamese ngủ gục
- ngủ gụcto pass into sleep
Yiddish אַנטשלאָפֿן
- אַנטשלאָפֿן (antshlofn)to pass into sleep
Cite this entry
APA
fall asleep. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fall%20asleep
MLA
“fall asleep.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fall%20asleep. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fall asleep,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fall%20asleep.
Source: fall asleep on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.