to be in a state of inactivity, negligence, quiescence, or calm: Vesuvius is slumbering.
verb (used with object)
to spend or pass (time) in slumbering (often followed by away, out, or through): to slumber the afternoon away.
to dispel or forget by slumbering (often followed by away): to slumber cares away.
noun
Sometimes slumbers.sleep, especially light sleep.
a period of sleep, especially light sleep.
a state of inactivity, quiescence, etc.
Origin of slumber
1175–1225; (v.) Middle English slumeren, frequentative of slumen to doze, derivative of Old English slūma sleep (see -er6); compare German schlummern; (noun) Middle English slomur, slomber, derivative of the v.
Scientists have yet to pinpoint the roots of this phenomenon, but some think it occurs when the brain crosses wires between conscious awareness and the dream-filled REM stage of slumber.
Why do we see ghosts?|Jake Bittle|October 6, 2020|Popular Science
Brian, my boyfriend, practically leapt from his slumber and bonked his head against the insulated metal ceiling of my minivan, stunned awake.
I Tried to Climb the Largest Sand Dune in North America|Emily Pennington|September 22, 2020|Outside Online
What’s more, the liberation of coronavirus strictures will be unevenly distributed, as some regions spring to life and others haltingly come out of slumber.
‘It’s a dangerous time to go dark’: Advertisers prepare for an uncertain summer|Seb Joseph|June 10, 2020|Digiday
Paul and McCain do not exactly have a history of slumber parties and hair-braiding.
Rand Paul Eats Up Hoax That John McCain Met With ISIS|Olivia Nuzzi|September 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
More than one-quarter of Americans are stealing those precious hours from their slumber, and are paying a steep price for it.
Short on Zzz’s? 15 Research-Backed Sleep Hacks|DailyBurn|May 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We need a great leader to wake us from our slumber and remind us that a two-state solution is urgently in our own interest.
Obama: Come Visit The Settlements|Samuel Lebens|March 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Budding doctors, actors, stock traders, lawyers, and writers all had a slumber party Wednesday night.
Inside the NYU Refugee Camp for Displaced Students|Kevin Fallon, Abby Haglage|November 1, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Coffin: A final resting place for corpses, and for daytime slumber for vampires.
‘Dark Shadows’ for Dummies or a Glossary of Key Names and Places|Jace Lacob|May 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Like a man lost in slumber, he heard nothing, he saw nothing.
Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard|Joseph Conrad
The elder sister, relieved and comforted, soon sank into slumber herself.
Horace Chase|Constance Fenimore Woolson
But the csikós would not let him turn his thoughts to slumber, he had yet something to tell him.
The Yellow Rose|Mr Jkai
Scarcely had the journalist composed himself to slumber, when the ruins were invaded by the party from the palace.
His Lordship's Leopard|David Dwight Wells
She arose to a sitting posture glancing around as a child might who has been suddenly awakened from slumber.
Trusia|Davis Brinton
British Dictionary definitions for slumber
slumber
/ (ˈslʌmbə) /
verb
(intr)to sleep, esp peacefully
(intr)to be quiescent or dormant
(tr foll by away) to spend (time) sleeping
noun
(sometimes plural)sleep
a dormant or quiescent state
Derived forms of slumber
slumberer, nounslumberless, adjective
Word Origin for slumber
Old English slūma sleep (n); related to Middle High German slummeren, Dutch sluimeren