asleep

Word family

a·sleep /əˈsliːp/ S2 adjectiveadj [not before noun]

1 SLEEPsleeping 睡着的 OPP awake

Quiet! The baby’s asleep.

安静！宝宝在睡觉。

fast/sound asleep (=sleeping deeply) 睡得很熟的

2 fall asleep

a) SLEEPto begin to sleep 入睡

Grandad fell asleep watching TV.

爷爷看电视睡着了。

One in seven road accidents is caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel (=falling asleep while driving).

七分之一的交通事故是司机驾车时睡着引起的。

b) DIE literary used to mean that someone dies, when you want to avoid saying this directly 长眠

Examples from the Corpus

falling asleep at the wheel• One in seven road accidents is caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel.

3 half asleep ATTENTIONvery tired or not completely awake 精疲力尽的；睡眼惺忪的

Still half asleep, Jenny began to make the kids’ breakfast.

珍妮睡眼惺忪地开始为孩子们准备早餐。

Examples from the Corpus

half asleep• Sorry, what did you say? I was half asleep.• He never lost his sense of humor, even when he was half asleep.• The old lady nodded, as if half asleep.• Inside, the Porter was half asleep behind a newspaper.• Most of the time they were half asleep, chatting about the weather.• Corporal L, the Royal Signals Operator, is half asleep in his chair.• Sorcerer felt dazed and half asleep, still dreaming wild dawn dreams.• She stayed on top of him, half asleep still.• It was a hot day, and I think I must have been half asleep when I noticed something very strange.

4. MIan arm or leg that is asleep has been in one position for too long, so you cannot feel it properly 〔手臂或腿〕麻木的

5 asleep at the wheel/switch not paying attention to a situation, so that something bad happens 漫不经心的〔以至不好的事发生〕

Several publishers were asleep at the switch, and missed the book’s potential.

几家出版商掉以轻心，没看到这本书的潜力。

Examples from the Corpus

asleep at the wheel/switch• One in seven road accidents is caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel.

→ go to sleep at sleep2(3)

Examples from the Corpus

asleep• At 7: 30 Celestine, dripping with sweat, returned to the bed where Stafford was still deep asleep.• But I was in the back of the wagon once and fell asleep.• He was lying under his shirt, asleep.• It drove him mad to think of a stranger standing next to our beds at night, and him asleep.• He roused Alexander White, 69, who was asleep in a first-floor flat filled with heavy smoke.• They were both asleep in moments.• The child was sound asleep now, his tiny eyelashes resting on rounded cheeks.• Kelly was asleep on the sofa.• She did not fall asleep until daybreak.

fast/sound asleep• And she was screaming for her husband and he was sound asleep.• As I leave the car, I see that the little boy is now fast asleep.• From the sound of his rhythmic breathing, Loretta could tell he was fast asleep.• He stood on the moonlit grass, swaying slightly, holding himself upright but still fast asleep.• Most others are still sound asleep.• Then I fell sound asleep again.• She would have been fast asleep already, but for the Admiral's early-morning call.• He had intended to visit Meryl, who was probably fast asleep by now.

a·sleep adjectiveadj

Chinese

Syllable

Corpus