asleep

The word “asleep” means in a state of sleep. In plain terms, sleeping, or (for a body part) numb from reduced circulation.

“Asleep” is pronounced uh-SLEEP (/əˈsliːp/ in IPA).

Here is “asleep” used in a sentence: “The baby finally fell asleep after an hour of rocking.”

Words with a similar meaning to “asleep” include cold, comatose, dead to the world, dormant, down for the count and in the arms of Morpheus.

The opposite of “asleep” — its antonyms — is awake.

“Asleep” is an adjective.

The word “asleep” comes from Middle English. From Middle English aslepe, formed from a- ("in, on") plus sleep.

“Asleep” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

'Asleep' is an adjective describing the state of being in sleep, and it normally comes after a verb like 'be' or 'fall', as in 'she is asleep'. 'Sleeping' is the present participle and can come before a noun, as in 'a sleeping child', where 'asleep' cannot be used.

'Asleep' belongs to a group of adjectives that only work after a verb (predicatively), not directly before a noun. So you say 'the child is asleep' but not 'an asleep child'; use 'a sleeping child' instead.

Being asleep is a natural, temporary state of rest from which a person can easily be woken. Being unconscious means a person cannot be roused normally, often because of injury, illness, or anaesthetic, so it is a more serious condition.