snoozing

/ˈsnuː.zɪŋ/

sleeping lightly

I was just snoozing on the couch when the phone rang.

The person was lightly sleeping or dozing off when interrupted.

informal

To sleep lightly or briefly; to doze.

She spent the afternoon snoozing in the hammock.

She was sleeping lightly in the hammock for a short time.

I hit the snooze button three times before waking up properly.

The speaker delayed waking up by sleeping briefly after the alarm.

Often implies a short, casual nap rather than deep sleep. Common in everyday conversation.

Collocations

snooze buttona button on an alarm clock to delay waking for a short timesnooze offto fall asleep briefly, often unintentionally

Do not confuse 'snoozing' with 'sleeping'—snoozing implies a shorter or lighter sleep.

Use 'snoozing' for short naps or light sleep, not for deep or long sleep.

From Middle English 'snusen' (to doze), likely imitative of snoring sounds. Related to Dutch 'snoozen' (to doze) and German 'schnarchen' (to snore).

Primarily used in informal contexts. Avoid in formal writing unless quoting speech. Often associated with laziness or relaxation in casual settings.

snooze

to sleep lightly

root

-ing

present participle suffix

suffix

English Dictionary