Background for sleepers

sleepers

/ˈsliːpərz/

Illustration sleepers - Image 1

noun

Someone who sleeps.

Examples :

"The kindergarten teacher gently woke the sleepers after nap time. "

Illustration sleepers - Image 1

noun

That which lies dormant, as a law.

Examples :

"Even though the old regulation about school uniforms seemed forgotten, it turned out to be one of the sleepers; the principal suddenly enforced it again after years of ignoring it. "

Illustration sleepers - Image 1

noun

A spy, saboteur, or terrorist who lives unobtrusively in a community until activated by a prearranged signal; may be part of a sleeper cell.

Examples :

"After the war, authorities discovered several sleepers who had been living as ordinary citizens for years, waiting for orders. "

politics military war police government person organization action society

Illustration sleepers - Image 1

noun

A small starter earring, worn to prevent a piercing from closing.

Examples :

"After getting my ears pierced, I wore small gold sleepers to keep the holes from closing up. "

wear body item appearance

Illustration sleepers - Image 1

noun

A railway sleeping car.

Examples :

"We spent a night on an uncomfortable sleeper between Athens and Vienna."

Illustration sleepers - Image 1

noun

A sleeper hold.

Examples :

"The wrestler applied a tight sleepers, cutting off blood flow to his opponent's brain. "

sport action body

Illustration sleepers - Image 1

noun

Something that achieves unexpected success after an interval of time.

Examples :

"A box-office bomb when it first came out, the film was a sleeper, becoming much more popular decades after being released."

achievement business outcome

Illustration sleepers - Image 1

noun

A goby-like bottom-feeding freshwater fish of the family Odontobutidae.

Examples :

"The aquarium contained several sleepers, small fish that lived on the bottom of the tank. "

Illustration sleepers - Image 1

noun

A nurse shark (family Ginglymostomatidae).

Examples :

"The scuba divers were excited to spot several sleepers resting peacefully on the sandy ocean floor. "

fish animal biology ocean

Illustration sleepers - Image 1

noun

A type of pajama for a person, especially a child, that covers the whole body, including the feet.

Examples :

"Aaron, Devin, and Laura looked so comfy in their sleepers."

wear item family

Illustration sleepers - Image 1

noun

An automobile which has been internally modified to excess, while retaining a mostly stock appearance in order to fool opponents in a drag race, or to avoid the attention of the police.

Examples :

"My neighbor's old, beat-up sedan is one of those "sleepers"; it looks slow, but it actually has a powerful engine hidden under the hood. "

vehicle technology sport police action style appearance machine technical

Illustration sleepers - Image 1

noun

Examples :

"The doctor prescribed some mild sleepers to help my grandmother rest after her surgery. "

Illustration sleepers - Image 1

noun

A railroad tie.

Examples :

"The train rumbled over the tracks, its wheels clicking on the sleepers beneath. "

structure building material technical industry machine

Illustration sleepers - Image 1

noun

A structural beam in a floor running perpendicular to both the joists beneath and floorboards above.

Examples :

"The construction crew carefully laid the sleepers on the concrete foundation before installing the hardwood floor. "

architecture building structure

Illustration sleepers - Image 1

noun

A heavy floor timber in a ship's bottom.

Examples :

"The shipwright carefully inspected the sleepers in the hull to ensure they could support the heavy cargo. "

nautical part material structure

Illustration sleepers - Image 1

noun

The lowest, or bottom, tier of casks.

Examples :

"The strongest sleepers in the brewery's barrel stack had to bear the weight of all the casks above them. "

material industry