drowse

UK: /ˈdraʊz/ US: /draʊz/ ,(drouz)

Inflections of 'drowse' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

drowses

v 3rd person singular

drowsing

v pres p

drowsed

v past

drowsed

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

drowse /draʊz/   v. [no object] , drowsed, drows•ing. 

1. to be sleepy or half-asleep:
   I was drowsing in the garden.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

drowse  (drouz), v., drowsed, drows•ing, n. 
v.i. 

1. to be sleepy or half-asleep.
2. to be dull or sluggish.

v.t. 

3. to pass or spend (time) in drowsing (often fol. by away):
   He drowsed away the morning.
4. to make sleepy.

n. 

5. a sleepy condition;
   state of being half-asleep.

• bef. 900; Old English drūsian to droop, become sluggish (not recorded in Middle English); akin to Old English drēosan to fall

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

drowse / draʊz/ verb

1. to be or cause to be sleepy, dull, or sluggish

noun

1. the state of being drowsy

Etymology: 16th Century: probably from Old English drūsian to sink; related to drēosan to fall