sleep rough
sleep rough — idiom
1. to spend the night outdoors in a public space such as a doorway, park bench, or
to spend the night outdoors in a public space such as a doorway, park bench, or railway station, when a person has nowhere to live and lacks money for any form of shelter
Kenji slept rough for two weeks after losing his job and his flat.
simple past: slept rough
A local charity brings hot soup to people sleeping rough in the town centre every evening.
present participle: sleeping rough
The winter cold makes life dangerous for anyone forced to sleep rough.
Fatima volunteered at a shelter that helps young people who sleep rough near the station.
- sleep on the streets
the usual American English equivalent; more literal and geographically specific
- be homeless
broader in meaning; describes the condition rather than the specific action of sleeping outdoors
- sleep indoors
the opposite condition but not a fixed phrase
- have a roof over one's head
idiomatic antonym describing the state of having secure housing
文法句型
sleep / sleeps / sleeping / slept + rough
用法筆記
Almost exclusively used in British English. The equivalent in American English is 'sleep on the streets' or 'live on the streets'. 'Rough' is an adverb here, not an adjective — it modifies the way of sleeping, not the ground.