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drift off

B1 informal inseparable intransitive
In simple words

To slowly fall asleep, or to stop paying attention and let your mind wander.

Literal meaning: To float or drift away from a place.

Meanings

1 B1 idiomatic informal

To gradually and gently fall asleep.

"She drifted off during the film and woke up just before the credits rolled."

Grammar: inseparable
2 B1 idiomatic informal

To stop paying attention and let the mind wander.

"During the long lecture, he found himself drifting off and thinking about the weekend."

Grammar: inseparable
3 B2 neutral

To move away slowly without a clear direction, like something carried by wind or water.

"The sound of the music drifted off into the night."

Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes

Very common and natural in everyday speech. The 'fall asleep' sense is extremely frequent. The 'lose attention' sense overlaps with 'drift away' mentally. Also used literally for things drifting away on water.

Commonly used with

sleep thoughts concentration attention mind gently

Forms

Base
drift off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
drifts off
he/she/it
Past simple
drifted off
yesterday
Past participle
drifted off
have + pp
-ing form
drifting off
continuous

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