to sleep

to sleep — idiom

1. used to describe the act of helping someone fall asleep through gentle, comforti

1.idiomB1
Definition

used to describe the act of helping someone fall asleep through gentle, comforting actions such as singing softly, rocking rhythmically, or reading a quiet story.

Example

Anjali sang a soft lullaby to her baby brother to rock him to sleep.

rock/sing + someone + to sleep pattern

The tired father rocked his crying baby to sleep in an old wooden chair.

Common collocations
  • rock someone to sleep
  • sing someone to sleep
  • read someone to sleep
  • put someone to sleep
Synonyms
  • lull

    closer to calming or soothing than actively helping someone fall asleep; more literary and less daily-life than the phrase 'to sleep'

  • settle

    broader — can mean calming a child without implying the goal of actual sleep

Antonyms
  • wake

    opposite action; waking someone up rather than helping them fall asleep

Grammar Patterns

rock/sing/read + someone + to sleep

put + someone + to sleep

Usage Note

This sense always appears after a transitive verb such as rock, sing, read, or put. The person being comforted is the object of that verb, followed by 'to sleep'. It is not used as a standalone infinitive of purpose.

Common Mistakes

I read a story to sleep my baby.
I read a story to put my baby to sleep.
The verb 'sleep' cannot take an object directly; use a verb like 'rock', 'sing', 'read', or 'put' before 'to sleep'.