1 B1 neutral
To sleep outdoors or in the open air.
"The kids wanted to sleep out in the garden on the last warm night of summer."
inseparable
sleep out
B1 neutral inseparable intransitive
To sleep outside, away from one's home, or in the open air rather than indoors.
In plain English
Sleep somewhere that isn't your normal bed — often outside.
What does "sleep out" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 neutral
To sleep away from one's home or usual accommodation.
"The nanny slept out — she went back to her own flat every evening."
inseparable
3 B2 neutral
To participate in a sponsored outdoor sleeping event, typically to raise money for homelessness charities.
"Hundreds of volunteers slept out in the city centre to raise funds for the homeless shelter."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To sleep outside — transparent compound meaning.
Actually means
Sleep somewhere that isn't your normal bed — often outside.
Usage tip
Can refer to sleeping outdoors (e.g. camping or rough sleeping) or simply to sleeping away from one's usual home. In some British contexts it can also mean a live-in worker who sleeps off the premises. Also used in the context of charity events where participants sleep outside to raise awareness for homelessness.
Words that pair with "sleep out"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
garden tent street night rough charity
How to conjugate "sleep out"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
sleep out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
sleeps out
he/she/it
Past simple
slept out
yesterday
Past participle
slept out
have + pp
-ing form
sleeping out
continuous
Hear "sleep out" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "sleep out" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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