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Meaning & use

slept like a dog

phrase·Everydayinformal

Last updated

UK/ˌslept laɪk ə ˈdɒɡ/
US/ˌslept laɪk ə ˈdɔːɡ/

Meanings

  1. phraseidiominformal

    Slept very deeply and well, without waking up during the night.

    Grammar: A fixed phrase used after a subject; the verb changes with time: 'I sleep like a dog' (present), 'she slept like a dog' (past).

    Patterns

    • someone slept like a dog
    • someone sleeps like a dog
    • someone has slept like a dog

    After the long hike, I slept like a dog and did not hear the storm.

    The baby finally slept like a dog from ten o'clock until morning.

    He said he slept like a dog on the overnight train.

  2. phraseidiominformal

    Used to describe someone sleeping heavily and looking completely relaxed or exhausted.

    Grammar: Often used with 'be' or 'lie': 'He was sleeping like a dog on the sofa.'

    Patterns

    • be sleeping like a dog
    • lie there sleeping like a dog

    When we came home, my brother was sleeping like a dog on the couch.

    The children were sleeping like dogs after the party, so we carried them to bed.

    She was sleeping like a dog with her mouth open, which made us laugh.

Word forms

base formsleep like a dog
third person singularsleeps like a dog
present participlesleeping like a dog
past tenseslept like a dog
past participleslept like a dog

Common combinations

sleep like a dog after something
I always sleep like a dog after a long day at work.
sleep like a dog all night
She slept like a dog all night and woke up refreshed.
sleep like a dog on a hard bed
Surprisingly, I slept like a dog on that hard bed.
sleep like a dog through the noise
The baby slept like a dog through all the noise outside.
be sleeping like a dog
Look at him — he's sleeping like a dog in the armchair.

Synonyms and how they differ

sleep like a log
Very similar and also informal, but it suggests being so still that nothing can wake you; 'sleep like a dog' often adds a picture of deep, relaxed comfort.
sleep like a baby
Also means sleeping well and peacefully, but it usually suggests calm, innocent rest rather than heavy exhaustion.
sleep soundly
A neutral, slightly more formal choice that fits writing and exams, where 'slept like a dog' would sound too casual.
be fast asleep
Describes the state of being deeply asleep at one moment; it does not carry the informal, homey tone of the idiom.

Opposites

stayed awaketossed and turned

Word family

sleep verb
To rest with your eyes closed and your mind not active.
sleep noun
The natural state of rest in which you are not awake.
sleeper noun
A person who sleeps in a particular way, as in 'a heavy sleeper'.
sleepy adjective
Feeling tired and ready to sleep.
sleepless adjective
Without sleep, as in 'a sleepless night'.

Commonly confused: slept like a dog or sleep like a baby? slept like a dog or slept like a top?

slept like a dog vs sleep like a baby

This means sleeping peacefully and calmly, while 'sleep like a dog' usually stresses deep, heavy, undisturbed sleep. Both are fine, but they paint slightly different pictures.

slept like a dog vs slept like a top

British and rather old-fashioned, meaning slept deeply; learners may meet it in older books. 'Slept like a dog' is more common in modern informal speech.

Practice

Which sentence uses the idiom correctly for one past night?

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