putting to sleep

Verb

put to sleep (third-person singular simple present puts to sleep, present participle putting to sleep, simple past and past participle put to sleep)

1. (transitive) To cause (someone) to sleep.
   • His boring stories sometimes put me to sleep.
2. (transitive) To help (someone) to bed.
   • After they'd put the kids to sleep, they relaxed by the fire and chatted.

   Synonyms:

   put to bed, put down

3. (figuratively, transitive, uncommon) To render dormant.
   • Our jealousy is only put to sleep by the unlimited confidence we all repose in the person to whom we all look as our president.1787, Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Edward Carrington

   Synonyms:

   put to rest, put to bed

4. (euphemistic, transitive) To kill an animal painlessly, often with an injection.
   • Near-synonym: put to bed with a shovel (cynical tone)

   Synonyms:

   put down, euthanize, put to bed with a shovel

5. (informal) To give a general anesthetic prior to surgery.
   • Mommy's surgery is not a big operation but it does require that they put her to sleep for a while.

   Synonyms:

   put under, anesthetize, anaesthetise