euphemisms for death (based on an analogy between lying in a bed and in a tomb)
"she was laid to rest beside her husband"
"they had to put their family pet to sleep"
The state of reduced consciousness during which a human or animal rests in a daily rhythm.
"After staying up all night studying for the exam, I finally crashed into a deep sleep to catch up on my rest."
In plain English: Sleep is the natural state where your body and mind rest so you can recover energy for waking up.
"The baby slept soundly for eight hours straight."
be asleep
"After running late to class, I was so tired that I fell asleep on the bus and missed my stop."
To rest in a state of reduced consciousness.
"The baby finally stopped fussing and began to sleep after her mother rocked her gently until she drifted off into a deep slumber."
In plain English: Sleep means to close your eyes and rest your body while you are unconscious.
"I need to sleep for at least eight hours every night."
Usage: Use sleep as an intransitive verb when describing someone resting without specifying the cause, such as saying he slept well rather than that something made him sleep. Avoid using it transitively with objects like "sleep his baby," which should instead be phrased as putting or laying the child to bed.
The word "sleep" comes from the Old English verb slēpan, which has been used in the language since ancient times to mean exactly what it does today. It traveled into modern English through Middle English without changing its core meaning.