sleep with
B1 neutral inseparable transitive
In simple words
Have sex with someone, or literally lie in bed next to them.
Literal meaning: To sleep in the presence of or beside someone.
Meanings
1 B1
idiomatic
neutral
To have sex with someone (euphemistic).
"She later found out he had been sleeping with her best friend for months."
"I can't believe you slept with her."
— Bridget Jones's Diary, film, 2001 (screenplay by Richard Curtis and Andrew Davies)
Grammar: inseparable
2 A2 neutral
To share a bed or sleeping space with someone (literal, non-sexual).
"The toddler refuses to sleep with stuffed animals — she just wants a blanket."
Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes
The euphemistic sexual meaning is by far the dominant sense when used about adults. The literal sense (sharing a bed, non-sexually) is still understood and used, especially about children, pets, or in clearly non-romantic contexts. One of the most common sexual euphemisms in English.
Commonly used with
someone partner colleague boss stranger her/him/them
Forms
Base
sleep with
I/you/we/they
3rd person
sleeps with
he/she/it
Past simple
slept with
yesterday
Past participle
slept with
have + pp
-ing form
sleeping with
continuous
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