SLEEPER Definition & Meaning

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sleeper

[ slee-per ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a person or thing that sleeps.
a heavy horizontal timber for distributing loads.
Building Trades.
1. any long wooden, metal, or stone piece lying horizontally as a sill or footing.
2. any of a number of wooden pieces, laid upon the ground or upon masonry or concrete, to which floorboards are nailed.
a sleeping car.
Informal. something or someone that becomes unexpectedly successful or important after a period of being unnoticed, ignored, or considered unpromising or a failure:
The play was the sleeper of the season.
merchandise that is not quickly sold because its value is not immediately recognized.
Often sleepers. one-piece or two-piece pajamas with feet, especially for children.
bunting ³.
a sofa, chair, or other piece of furniture that is designed to open up or unfold into a bed; convertible.
Also called sleep, sand. a globule that forms at the inner corner of the eye, especially during sleep, from the accumulated secretion of the glands of the eyelid.
any of several gobioid fishes of the family Eleotridae, of tropical seas, most species of which have the habit of resting quietly on the bottom.
Slang. a spy; mole.
Slang. a juvenile delinquent sentenced to serve more than nine months.
Bowling. a pin that is hidden from view by another pin.
Chiefly British. a timber or beam laid in a railroad track, serving as a foundation or support for the rails; tie.

sleeper

/ ˈ��ː��ə /

noun

a person, animal, or thing that sleeps
a railway sleeping car or compartment
one of the blocks supporting the rails on a railway track US and Canadian equivalenttie
a heavy timber beam, esp one that is laid horizontally on the ground
a small plain gold circle worn in a pierced ear lobe to prevent the hole from closing up
a wrestling hold in which a wrestler presses the sides of his opponent's neck, causing him to pass out
an unbranded calf
Also calledsleeper goby any gobioid fish of the family Eleotridae, of brackish or fresh tropical waters, resembling the gobies but lacking a ventral sucker
informal.
a person or thing that achieves unexpected success after an initial period of obscurity
a spy planted in advance for future use, but not currently active

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of sleeper¹

Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; sleep, -er ¹

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"People may assume homelessness is an older man and a rough sleeper but homelessness can affect anyone of any age," said Shaun.

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“I do believe the issue of allowing men into women’s sports, it was the sleeper issue of the election,” she told the Republican crowd.

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However militants and sleeper cells continue to have a presence in various parts of the country and carry out sporadic attacks against Iraq's army and police.

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Everybody wants to identify sleepers late in the draft.

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While London continues to have the highest number of rough sleepers, the problem is growing faster in the rest of England, the Ministry of Housing data shows.

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