Meanings
present singular third person oversleeps · participle present oversleeping · participle past overslept · past overslept
- intransitiveTo sleep for longer than intended.First known use 14th c.
I overslept and was late for school.
- archaicreflexiveTo sleep for longer than one intended.First known use 15th c.
Theodore made awkward excuses, and attributed his delay to having overslept himself.
1764, Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto, section IV2 more examples
After such a train of fatigue and restless nights, I had unhappily overslept myself […].
1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter LXXXI”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; [a]nd sold by John Osborn, […], →OCLCThe following morning, Toad, who had overslept himself as usual, came down to breakfast disgracefully late, [...].
1908 October, Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC - transitiveTo sleep beyond (a given time), to sleep through (an event etc.).First known use 16th c.
to oversleep one's usual hour of rising
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*úp
- Proto-Indo-European*upér
- Proto-Germanic*uber
- Old Englishofer-
- Middle Englishover-
- Englishover-
- Englishsleep
- Englishoversleep
Translations
Arabic اِسْتَغْرَقَ فِي النَّوْم
- اِسْتَغْرَقَ فِي النَّوْم (istaḡraqa fī an-nawm)to sleep for longer than planned
Bulgarian успи́вам се, успя́ се
- успи́вам се (uspívam se)to sleep for longer than planned
- успя́ се (uspjá se)to sleep for longer than planned
Chinese Mandarin 睡過頭 /睡过头
- 睡過頭 /睡过头 (shuìguòtóu)to sleep for longer than planned
Czech zaspat
- zaspatto sleep for longer than planned
Danish sove over sig
- sove over sigto sleep for longer than planned
Dutch zich verslapen
- zich verslapento sleep for longer than planned
Finnish nukkua pommiin
- nukkua pommiinto sleep for longer than planned
French trop dormir
- trop dormirto sleep for longer than planned
German verschlafen, verpennen
- verschlafento sleep for longer than planned
- verpennento sleep for longer than planned
Greek παρακοιμάμαι
- παρακοιμάμαι (parakoimámai)to sleep for longer than planned
Hungarian elalszik
- elalszikto sleep for longer than planned
Icelandic sofa yfir sig
- sofa yfir sigto sleep for longer than planned
Italian dormire troppo
- dormire troppoto sleep for longer than planned
Japanese 寝過ごす, 寝坊する
- 寝過ごす (nesugosu)to sleep for longer than planned
- 寝坊する (nebō suru)to sleep for longer than planned
Korean 늦잠을 자다
- 늦잠을 자다 (neutjam-eul jada)to sleep for longer than planned
Latvian aizgulēties
- aizgulētiesto sleep for longer than planned
Māori moeroa
- moeroato sleep for longer than planned
Norwegian Bokmål forsove seg
- forsove segto sleep for longer than planned
Polish zasypiać, zaspać
- zasypiaćto sleep for longer than planned
- zaspaćto sleep for longer than planned
Portuguese dormir demais, adormecer
- dormir demaisto sleep for longer than planned
- adormecerto sleep for longer than planned
Russian просыпа́ть, проспа́ть
- просыпа́ть (prosypátʹ)to sleep for longer than planned
- проспа́ть (prospátʹ)to sleep for longer than planned
Slovak zaspať
- zaspaťto sleep for longer than planned
Spanish quedarse dormido
- quedarse dormidoto sleep for longer than planned
Swedish försova sig
- försova sigto sleep for longer than planned
Turkish uyuyakalmak
- uyuyakalmakto sleep for longer than planned
Ukrainian просипа́ти, проспа́ти
- просипа́ти (prosypáty)to sleep for longer than planned
- проспа́ти (prospáty)to sleep for longer than planned
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with oversleep
Anagrams
Cite this entry
oversleep. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oversleep
“oversleep.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oversleep. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “oversleep,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oversleep.
Source: oversleep on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.