sleep around
phrasal verb·1 sense·particle around
Meanings
Have casual sexual relationships with several people
Why “around”? Activity continues without a clear direction, purpose, or commitment.
“He's known for sleeping around.”
“She accused him of sleeping around.”
Don't confuse with
Sleep around means have casual sexual relationships with several people. Sleep through means continue sleeping despite a noise or event.
Test yourself
“He's known for sleeping around.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
sleep through
A contrast learners often mix up
Continue sleeping despite a noise or event
dick around
Same around pattern: no clear way
Waste time doing nothing useful (informal, sometimes rude)
fool around
Same around pattern: no clear way
Behave in a silly or playful way; Have casual romantic or sexual relationships
hang around
Same around pattern: no clear way
Stay nearby without a purpose; Stay in a place without doing much; Spend time with a person or group regularly
lie around
Same around pattern: no clear way
Be left unused in plain sight
lounge around
Same around pattern: no clear way
Pass time in a relaxed sprawl
mess around
Same around pattern: no clear way
Spend time in a careless or playful way; Treat someone unfairly or unreliably
mooch around
Same around pattern: no clear way
Drift about with no purpose
Sink In — iOS & Android
Practice “sleep around” in Sink In
Drill “sleep around” and 1,300+ other phrasal verbs with spaced repetition, organised by the particle patterns that connect them.
- Learn the pattern behind dozens of verbs at once — not one-off translations.
- Spaced repetition (SM-2) brings each meaning back right before you forget.
- Four practice modes train recall and discrimination, not just recognition.
