forty winks

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

We probably all know about counting sheep, or letting sleeping dogs lie, but the facts about forty winks in the animal kingdom are still subject to debate.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2014

Then I managed to get forty winks or so of sleep around sunrise.

From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney

Edala had retired, announcing an intention of having forty winks and reappearing when it was cooler.

From The White Hand and the Black A Story of the Natal Rising by Mitford, Bertram

Then, just as I was thinking about forty winks, up spoke an old chap in one corner, grey-bearded, sunburnt, and attired in dungarees, grey woollen shirt and patched coat.

From From Chart House to Bush Hut Being the Record of a Sailor's 7 Years in the Queensland Bush by Bryde, Charles W. L.

The old Squire had withdrawn, laughingly explaining that he could not do without his forty winks on a hot Sunday afternoon.

From The Red Derelict by Mitford, Bertram