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Meaning & use

tossing and turning

phrase·Everyday

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UK/ˌtɒsɪŋ ən ˈtɜːnɪŋ/
US/ˌtɔːsɪŋ ən ˈtɜːrnɪŋ/

Meanings

  1. phrasefixed phrase

    Moving restlessly in bed and unable to fall asleep, usually because of worry, heat, or discomfort.

    Grammar: Used as a continuous activity after 'be' or 'spend': I was tossing and turning; I spent the night tossing and turning.

    Patterns

    • be tossing and turning
    • spend the night tossing and turning
    • toss and turn all night

    I was tossing and turning for hours before I finally fell asleep.

    The heat made him toss and turn all night.

    She spent the whole night tossing and turning, worrying about the exam.

  2. phrasefixed phrase

    The state of being awake and restless in bed, often mentioned as a sign of stress or illness.

    Grammar: Often appears as a noun-like phrase after 'the': the tossing and turning kept me awake.

    Patterns

    • the tossing and turning
    • after a night of tossing and turning

    After a night of tossing and turning, he looked exhausted at work.

    The tossing and turning in the next room kept me awake too.

Common combinations

toss and turn all night
The baby tossed and turned all night because of a fever.
a night of tossing and turning
A night of tossing and turning left her too tired to concentrate.
keep someone tossing and turning
The noisy neighbors kept me tossing and turning until dawn.
lie tossing and turning
He lay tossing and turning, unable to switch off his thoughts.

Synonyms and how they differ

restless
Describes the general feeling of being unable to relax, while 'tossing and turning' specifically pictures the movement in bed.
insomnia
A medical term for the condition of not sleeping; 'tossing and turning' describes the visible behavior, not the diagnosis.
sleepless
An adjective meaning without sleep, as in 'a sleepless night'; it does not describe the movement itself.

Opposites

sleeping soundlyresting peacefully

Word family

toss verb
To throw something lightly or move restlessly.
turn verb
To move your body so you face another direction.

Commonly confused: tossing and turning or twisting and turning?

tossing and turning vs twisting and turning

This describes bending or writhing, often in pain or effort, not the restless movement of trying to sleep.

Practice

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