Definition

Verb: - To induce sleep; to make someone or something fall asleep.

Usage

This verb phrase describes the action of making a person, animal, or entity transition from a state of wakefulness to sleep. It implies an external agent or factor is responsible for initiating sleep.

Examples

• The veterinarian caused the anxious dog to sleep with a gentle sedative.
• The monotonous lecture caused half the class to sleep.
• The warm milk and quiet story caused the child to sleep peacefully.

Advanced Usage

• Causative Structure: The phrase "cause to sleep" is a causative construction, where the subject causes the object to perform the action of sleeping. It is more formal than simpler synonyms like "put to sleep."
• Figurative Use: It can be applied in a figurative sense to inanimate objects or systems.
  • The administrator caused the faulty server to sleep to prevent data corruption.

Variants and Related Words

• Sedate (verb): To administer a sedative drug to calm or induce sleep, often used in medical contexts.
• Anesthetize (verb): To administer anesthesia to induce unconsciousness, a more intense medical procedure.
• Soporific (adjective): Tending to induce drowsiness or sleep.

Synonyms

• Put to sleep
• Lull to sleep
• Induce sleep in

Related Phrases

• Cause to doze off: To make someone fall into a light sleep.
  • The afternoon heat caused him to doze off in his chair.
• Cause to nod off: Similar to "doze off," implying a brief, unintended sleep.
  • The long car ride caused the passenger to nod off.

Verb

1. make fall asleep
   • The soft music caused us to fall asleep