View synonyms for sleeper

sleeper

[ slee-per ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a person or thing that sleeps.
a heavy horizontal timber for distributing loads.
Building Trades.
1. any long wooden, metal, or stone piece lying horizontally as a sill or footing.
2. any of a number of wooden pieces, laid upon the ground or upon masonry or concrete, to which floorboards are nailed.
a sleeping car.
Informal. something or someone that becomes unexpectedly successful or important after a period of being unnoticed, ignored, or considered unpromising or a failure:
The play was the sleeper of the season.
merchandise that is not quickly sold because its value is not immediately recognized.
Often sleepers. one-piece or two-piece pajamas with feet, especially for children.
bunting ³.
a sofa, chair, or other piece of furniture that is designed to open up or unfold into a bed; convertible.
Also called sleep, sand. a globule that forms at the inner corner of the eye, especially during sleep, from the accumulated secretion of the glands of the eyelid.
any of several gobioid fishes of the family Eleotridae, of tropical seas, most species of which have the habit of resting quietly on the bottom.
Slang. a spy; mole.
Slang. a juvenile delinquent sentenced to serve more than nine months.
Bowling. a pin that is hidden from view by another pin.
Chiefly British. a timber or beam laid in a railroad track, serving as a foundation or support for the rails; tie.

sleeper

/ ˈsliːpə /

a person, animal, or thing that sleeps
a railway sleeping car or compartment
one of the blocks supporting the rails on a railway track US and Canadian equivalenttie
a heavy timber beam, esp one that is laid horizontally on the ground
a small plain gold circle worn in a pierced ear lobe to prevent the hole from closing up
a wrestling hold in which a wrestler presses the sides of his opponent's neck, causing him to pass out
an unbranded calf
Also calledsleeper goby any gobioid fish of the family Eleotridae, of brackish or fresh tropical waters, resembling the gobies but lacking a ventral sucker
informal.
a person or thing that achieves unexpected success after an initial period of obscurity
a spy planted in advance for future use, but not currently active

Origin of sleeper¹

Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; sleep, -er ¹

Hollywood might possibly fear North Korean sleeper cells capable of blowing up theaters that screen anti-Nork films.

But faced with a sleeper hit, HBO shockingly did not quite feel the same way.

Sam Brownback—The Kansas Governor might be the sleeper in this race to crazy.

An accidental polyphasic sleeper, Bartiromo rests in naps rather than eight-hour chunks like the rest of us.

One night late that summer they put him aboard the sleeper for Winnipeg, and when he got off he asked for the Marlborough Hotel.

On his return he introduced them on the Midland, both the parlour car and the sleeper.

Woman—Thou beest a sound sleeper—Wake up, and see to thy bairn, and I will gie thee both a good breakfast.

His words mingled in my dazed mind with the sighs of the troubled sleeper and the crying of the wind about the tent.

Recovering from his fit of abstraction, Pyne, casting a final keen glance at the sleeper, walked out of the room.

With a look of intense loathing the queen bent down and laid her head on the sleeper's breast.

April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

Start each day with the Word of the Day in your inbox!

By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.

Browse