sleep-ins
|sleep-in(s)|
/ˈsliːpɪn/
(sleep-in)
stay in bed / stay overnight
Etymology
'sleep-in' is a modern English compound formed from the verb 'sleep' + the adverb/particle 'in', created by using the phrasal-verb form as a noun (a conversion/zero-derivation).
'sleep' originates from Old English 'slǣpan' (Germanic root), which became Middle English 'slepen' and then modern English 'sleep'; 'in' originates from Old English 'in' (from Proto-Germanic). The noun 'sleep-in' developed in modern English by turning the phrasal verb 'sleep in' into a hyphenated noun, attested in the 20th century.
Originally the parts meant 'to sleep' + 'inside/within' (literal sense), but as a compound it came to mean 'staying in bed late' and later also 'an organized overnight protest or fundraising sleepover'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural of 'sleep-in': an occasion when people stay in bed later than usual (a lie-in); staying in bed late, typically at home.
Teenagers often enjoy sleep-ins on weekend mornings.
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Noun 2
plural of 'sleep-in': an organized event in which people sleep at a location overnight as a form of protest, demonstration, or charity fundraising (e.g., staying overnight at a workplace or public place to make a point).
Workers held sleep-ins outside the factory to protest the planned closures.
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Last updated: 2025/11/17 18:01