Definition Definition

sleeper - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'sleeper' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Sleeper [ n.]
- One who sleeps; a slumberer; hence, a drone, or lazy person.
- That which lies dormant, as a law.
- A sleeping car.
- An animal that hibernates, as the bear.
- A large fresh-water gobioid fish (Eleotris dormatrix).
- A nurse shark. See under Nurse.
- Something lying in a reclining posture or position.
- One of the pieces of timber, stone, or iron, on or near the level of the ground, for the support of some superstructure, to steady framework, to keep in place the rails of a railway, etc.; a stringpiece.
- One of the joists, or roughly shaped timbers, laid directly upon the ground, to receive the flooring of the ground story.
- One of the knees which connect the transoms to the after timbers on the ship's quarter.
- The lowest, or bottom, tier of casks.

Meaning of 'sleeper' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . sleeper [ n]
Meaning (1):
- an unexpected hit
Example in sentence:
  • that movie was the sleeper of the summer
Meaning (2):
- one of the cross braces that support the rails on a railway track
Example in sentence:
  • the British call a railroad tie a sleeper
Meaning (3):
- an unexpected achiever of success
Example in sentence:
  • the winner was a true sleeper--no one expected him to get it