doze off — to fall into a light sleep, especially unintentionally
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to fall into a light sleep, especially unintentionally
Pronunciation (IPA): /doʊz ɔːf/
Example Sentences
- My grandfather always dozes off while watching the news, then wakes up asking 'What did I miss?'
- I tried to doze off on the plane, but the baby behind me had other plans.
- She tends to doze off during long meetings, especially after lunch.
doze off
VERB[/doʊz ɔːf/]
to fall into a light sleep, especially unintentionally
He tried to doze off during the boring afternoon lecture.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
The verb 'doze' emerged in the 17th century from Scandinavian languages, particularly related to Danish 'dose' meaning 'to sleep' or 'to doze'. The phrasal verb 'doze off' developed with the addition of the particle 'off', which intensifies the sense of falling into sleep.
Breakdown
doze (from Scandinavian roots meaning to sleep lightly) + off (particle indicating a transition or movement away), together forming a phrasal verb meaning to fall asleep unintentionally.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My grandfather always dozes off while watching the news, then wakes up asking 'What did I miss?'”
“I tried to doze off on the plane, but the baby behind me had other plans.”
“She tends to doze off during long meetings, especially after lunch.”
“The cat dozed off in the sunny spot by the window.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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