1 B1 idiomatic informal
To gradually and gently fall asleep.
"She drifted off during the film and woke up just before the credits rolled."
inseparable
drift off
B1 informal inseparable intransitive
To gradually fall asleep, or to lose concentration and stop paying attention.
In plain English
To slowly fall asleep, or to stop paying attention and let your mind wander.
What does "drift off" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
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."
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."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To float or drift away from a place.
Actually means
To slowly fall asleep, or to stop paying attention and let your mind wander.
Usage tip
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.
Words that pair with "drift off"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
sleep thoughts concentration attention mind gently
How to conjugate "drift off"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
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
Hear "drift off" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "drift off" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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