Meaning & use
overslept
Last updated
“overslept” is a form of “oversleep”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitive
Past form of oversleep: slept past the time you meant to wake up.
Grammar: No object: I overslept this morning.
Patterns
- overslept and missed something
- overslept by an hour
I overslept and missed the first bus.
She overslept by an hour because her alarm did not ring.
He overslept on the day of his exam.
verbintransitive
Past form of oversleep when you sleep for too long in general, often because you are very tired.
Grammar: Has no object, and is sometimes used with the time: overslept until noon.
Patterns
- overslept until a time
After the long flight, they overslept until noon.
The baby overslept and woke up hungry.
We overslept on Sunday and skipped breakfast.
Word forms
| base form | oversleep |
|---|---|
| third person singular | oversleeps |
| -ing form | oversleeping |
Common combinations
- overslept and missed
- He overslept and missed his train.
- accidentally overslept
- I accidentally overslept after staying up late.
- overslept by an hour
- She overslept by an hour and rushed to work.
- must have overslept
- He must have overslept, because he is not here yet.
- overslept this morning
- Sorry I'm late, but I overslept this morning.
Synonyms and how they differ
- slept in
- Slept in can be deliberate and enjoyable, but overslept always suggests you slept later than you intended.
- slept late
- Slept late simply says the time, whereas overslept suggests a problem or missed plan.
- dozed off
- Dozed off means fell asleep unintentionally, while overslept means stayed asleep too long.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: overslept or slept in?
overslept vs slept in
Slept in often means you chose to stay in bed late, while overslept means you slept longer than you meant to.
Practice
My phone battery died overnight, so I ___ and arrived at the meeting forty minutes late.
Choose one answer.
Overslept means slept past the planned wake-up time, which explains the late arrival. Overlooked means failed to notice and would need an object.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “overslept”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.