Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

put something to sleep

idiom

/pʊt ˈsʌmθɪŋ tə sliːp/

Definition

To make someone or something stop being active or functioning, or to make them become calm or inactive.

Examples

After weeks of hard work, we finally put our project to sleep and took a well-deserved break.
The vet had to put the old dog to sleep because of its poor health.
Let’s put this discussion to sleep until we have more information.

Meaning

This phrase is often used to describe the action of ending the activity of something, such as stopping a machine or helping someone to relax or fall asleep.