slept away

USAGE SUMMARY

"slept away" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
It can be used to refer to an amount of time spent sleeping or, figuratively, to refer to a certain amount of time passed. For example, "I slept away the afternoon in a hammock in the shade of a beautiful tree."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

9 human-written examples

Sunday morning he slept away, and then rushed out for a couple of afternoon visits.

The New Yorker

We went on picnics or bike rides, visited boyfriends at neighboring colleges, or slept away the sunshine.

The New York Times

I rolled over not long after and slept away my naiveté.

Huffington Post

I slept away from camp now sometimes, but still I couldn't sleep.

Vice

"You slept away your time in the field, till the finances of the country were completely exhausted," Paine charged.

Huffington Post

But when I realized I had slept away the entire morning of summer, I got concerned -- and realized I needed a reason to get up.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

51 human-written examples

Practice sleeping away.

The Washington Post

Sleeping away from the primacy.

The New Yorker

They sleep away a lot.

The New York Times

He hated cats, coconut and sleeping away from home.

The New York Times - Arts

(Sleep away camp doesn't qualify; ditto for the swimming lessons).

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "slept away" to describe time that was unintentionally or passively spent sleeping, often implying a missed opportunity or a sense of lost time.

Common error

Avoid using "slept away" when the intention was to actively rest for a specific purpose. Instead of saying 'I slept away my stress', consider 'I slept off my stress' if the goal was to alleviate stress through sleep.

Linguistic Context

"Slept away" functions as a phrasal verb, combining the action of sleeping with the sense of time passing or something being lost. As confirmed by Ludwig, it describes time spent sleeping or, figuratively, something passed. The Ludwig examples show its use in contexts where time is unintentionally consumed by sleep.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

70%

Science

15%

Wiki

15%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "slept away" is a grammatically correct phrasal verb, as verified by Ludwig, used to describe time unintentionally spent sleeping or something lost to sleep. While categorized as uncommon, it appears frequently in News & Media contexts. Ludwig provides examples showing its usage in describing missed opportunities or lost time due to sleeping. When writing, remember that "slept away" implies a passive experience and might not be suitable for situations where the intention was to actively rest for a specific purpose.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

slept through

Focuses on sleeping despite something happening, rather than time passing.

missed out on due to sleep

Emphasizes the loss of opportunity because of sleeping.

spent sleeping

Highlights the activity of sleeping as a way to pass time.

wasted sleeping

Implies regret or disapproval about spending time sleeping.

slept off

Refers to sleeping in order to recover from something, like illness or intoxication.

passed the time sleeping

A more literal way of saying that time was spent sleeping.

lost to slumber

A more poetic or figurative way of saying something was lost because of sleep.

dozed off and missed

Highlights the unintentional nature of missing something due to sleep.

overslept and lost

Emphasizes that waking up late resulted in a loss.

slept until

Focuses on the end point of the sleeping period, rather than what was missed or passed.

FAQs

What does it mean to say someone "slept away" a period of time?

When someone "slept away" a period of time, it means they spent that time sleeping, often implying that the time was lost or unintentionally passed due to sleep.

What are some alternatives to saying "slept away"?

Depending on the specific context, you could use alternatives like "slept through", "missed out on due to sleep", or "spent sleeping".

How is "slept away" different from "slept through"?

"Slept away" often implies a sense of lost time due to sleeping, while "slept through" suggests sleeping despite something happening, like an alarm or event.

Is it correct to say "I slept away my worries"?

While grammatically correct, it might be more accurate to say "I "slept off" my worries" if the intention was to alleviate worries through sleep. "Slept away" suggests the worries disappeared during sleep, which might not always be the case.