[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/sleeper/)

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# sleeper

noun (a sleeper, sleepers)

«sleeper» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A person or animal who is asleep, or who sleeps in a certain way: a light sleeper. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sleeper/#m1)
2. A train with beds, or a bed on such a train. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sleeper/#m2)
3. (UK, Australia) A heavy wooden or concrete beam under railway tracks (US: tie). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sleeper/#m3)
4. (UK) A small earring that keeps a pierced ear open. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sleeper/#m4)
5. Something that becomes a hit slowly; a hidden spy. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sleeper/#m5)

### In the lessons

In everyday life, «I'm a light sleeper» means you wake easily. In travel, a sleeper train. In gardening, railway sleepers make raised beds. Phrases: light sleeper, heavy sleeper, sleeper train.

### Examples

- Dad is a heavy sleeper; nothing wakes him. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sleeper/#x1)
- We took the sleeper train to Scotland. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sleeper/#x2)
- Railway sleepers hold the tracks in place. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sleeper/#x3)
- I'm a light sleeper, so I need quiet. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sleeper/#x4)
- The sleeper hit became famous a year later. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sleeper/#x5)
- She wears tiny gold sleepers in her ears. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sleeper/#x6)
- But generally he sucks the blood of sleepers. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sleeper/#x7)

### Note

Countable. Related: sleepy, sleepover. Maths: sleepers along a track are evenly spaced, so it's a gaps-and-posts problem.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «sleeper» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sleeper/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«sleeper» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/sleeper.html) on Mova free.