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Business idiomsidiom (verb phrase) · /sliːp ɒn ɪt/
In simple English

Delay a decision until the next day so you can think carefully. Often used when someone feels rushed or uncertain.

Someone at work said "sleep on it" and you want to know what it means.

At a glanceCEFR B1–B2
Commonness
Versatility
FormalityCasualFormalCasual
Spoken ↔ WrittenSpokenWrittenSpoken
Directness ↔ DiplomaticDirectDiplomaticDiplomatic
Region

Say it like this

Let me sleep on it and get back to you tomorrow.
No rush—sleep on it and let me know.
I need to sleep on it before I commit to anything.
Why don't you sleep on it and we can talk again Monday?

Real examples

Standup

"I'm still thinking about the architecture options—I'll sleep on it and decide tomorrow."

Slack message

"No pressure to answer now. Sleep on it and ping me when you're ready."

GitHub PR

"These are good suggestions. Let me sleep on it before updating the PR."

Jira ticket

"The team wants to sleep on this before we commit to the new approach."

Retrospective

"Let's sleep on these action items and finalize them in the next meeting."

Sprint planning

"That's a big commitment—can we sleep on it before adding it to the sprint?"

Pair programming

"I'm not sure which pattern is better. Mind if I sleep on it?"

Don't say this

Handle with care. Using "sleep on it" for very urgent decisions may seem like you're not taking the matter seriously.

I will sleep it.
I will sleep on it.The preposition 'on' is required. 'Sleep on it' is a fixed phrase.
Let me sleep about it.
Let me sleep on it.The idiom uses 'on,' not 'about.' This is a fixed expression.
I slept on it for two weeks.
I thought about it for two weeks.'Sleep on it' implies overnight, not a long period. For longer delays, use 'think about it.'

Other forms

base form

sleep on it

"Let me sleep on it."

past tense

slept on it

"I slept on it and decided to accept the offer."

present continuous

sleeping on it

"I'm sleeping on it—I'll let you know tomorrow."

imperative

sleep on it

"Sleep on it and we'll talk Monday."

Often used with

let me sleep on itThe most common way to use this phrase
need to sleep on itShows you're not ready to decide yet
sleep on it and get back to youPolite way to delay answering
just sleep on itCasual suggestion to someone who's uncertain
sleep on it overnightEmphasizes waiting until the next day

Similar words

think it overMore general—doesn't imply waiting overnight
take some timeVaguer—could mean hours or days
mull it overSimilar meaning, slightly more formal
sit with itMeans to let an idea settle before acting

Opposites

decide nowmake a snap decisionjump to a conclusionact immediately

More words

Questions

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