asleep
adj/əˈsliːp/
Etymology From Middle English aslepe, equivalent to a- (“in, on”) + sleep.
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?
- The reason they call it the American Dream is because you have to be asleep to believe it.1997, George Carlin, Brain Droppings, New York: Hyperion Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 83:
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.
- Louisa sat in the car crying, until her foot fell asleep. She shook her foot violently, afraid the numbness would turn to frostbite.2003, Norma L. Bronoski, Nuns Don't Dance:
4
Euphemistic Dead.
- Synonyms
- asleep, cold, comatose, dead to the world, dormant, down for the count, in the arms of Morpheus, in the arms of Murphy, nangry, out cold, out like a light, sacked out, sleepbound, sleeping, somnambular, unawakening, unawaking, unwaking
- 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, falling asleep, fast asleep, half-asleep, sound asleep, unasleep
- Related terms
- pins and needles, sleepy
- Hypernyms
- inactive, unconscious
- Hyponyms
- Very asleep, dead asleep, fast asleep, sound asleep, zonked, Slightly asleep, adoze, half-asleep, half-awake, Activity whilst asleep, somnambulant, somnambulic, somnambulistic, somniloquous