Tiredness can weigh on us like a heavy blanket, whether from a long day’s work, emotional strain, or physical exertion, and idioms for tiredness offer a vibrant way to express that exhaustion with creativity and flair. These figurative phrases capture the many facets of fatigue, making conversations about feeling drained more vivid and relatable. In this comprehensive listicle, we’ll explore 50 idioms related to tiredness, unpack their meanings, and bring each to life with a sentence that illustrates its use. So, let’s dive into this linguistic journey through the land of lethargy and discover how to articulate exhaustion in style!
What is an Idiom for Tiredness?
Idioms for tiredness are expressions that use imaginative, figurative language to describe the state of being physically, mentally, or emotionally exhausted. These phrases often convey the depth and nuances of fatigue in a way that’s engaging and memorable, perfect for adding color to discussions about burnout, weariness, or depletion. Let’s delve into each idiom, uncover its meaning, and see how it can enhance your conversations about feeling spent.
Idioms for Tiredness
1. Dead on Your Feet
Meaning: So exhausted that you can barely stand or function, as if you’re on the verge of collapse.
In a Sentence: After working back-to-back shifts at the restaurant, she was dead on her feet, barely able to make it to her car.
2. Burned Out
Meaning: Completely drained mentally and physically, often due to prolonged stress or overwork.
In a Sentence: Years of managing high-pressure projects left him burned out, longing for a sabbatical to rediscover his passion.
3. Running on Fumes
Meaning: Operating with very little energy left, like a car running on the last drops of fuel.
In a Sentence: After staying up all night to finish the report, she was running on fumes during the client presentation.
4. Wiped Out
Meaning: Utterly exhausted, with no energy remaining after intense physical or mental effort.
In a Sentence: The grueling triathlon left him wiped out, collapsing onto the grass as soon as he crossed the finish line.
5. Bone Tired
Meaning: Deeply fatigued, with exhaustion that feels like it reaches into your very bones.
In a Sentence: After spending the entire day moving heavy furniture, he was bone tired and could only dream of his soft bed.
6. Beat
Meaning: Extremely tired, often feeling physically or mentally defeated by fatigue.
In a Sentence: The endless cycle of meetings and deadlines left her beat, unable to muster the energy for anything else.
7. Knackered
Meaning: British slang for being completely exhausted, often after strenuous activity.
In a Sentence: Renovating the entire house over the weekend left them knackered, sprawled across the couch in exhaustion.
8. Pooped
Meaning: Informally exhausted, typically after a fun or demanding activity.
In a Sentence: The kids were pooped after a full day of playing at the beach, falling asleep before dinner was served.
9. Drained
Meaning: Completely depleted of energy, either physically or emotionally, leaving you empty.
In a Sentence: The heated family discussion left her drained, unable to focus on her work for the rest of the day.
10. Dog Tired
Meaning: Extremely weary, like a dog after a long day of running and playing.
In a Sentence: Chasing after her energetic toddler all afternoon left her dog tired, ready to collapse into bed early.
11. Out of Gas
Meaning: Having no energy left to continue, similar to a vehicle that’s run out of fuel.
In a Sentence: By the end of the week-long conference, he was out of gas, barely able to pack his suitcase for the trip home.
12. Fagged Out
Meaning: Exhausted from exertion, often used in informal or older contexts.
In a Sentence: The intense gardening session in the hot sun left him fagged out, sipping water in the shade to recover.
13. Tuckered Out
Meaning: Completely worn out, often after physical or playful activity, especially with children or pets.
In a Sentence: The puppies were tuckered out after hours of chasing each other around the yard, napping in a cozy pile.
14. Spent
Meaning: Having used up all your energy or resources, leaving you utterly exhausted.
In a Sentence: After delivering an emotional speech at the memorial, she felt spent and needed time to recharge quietly.
15. Zonked
Meaning: Completely exhausted or knocked out, often to the point of feeling disoriented.
In a Sentence: The red-eye flight left him zonked, wandering through the airport in a fog of fatigue.
16. Done In
Meaning: So exhausted that you’re unable to continue, as if you’ve been defeated by tiredness.
In a Sentence: The week of final exams left her done in, crawling into bed as soon as she submitted her last paper.
17. Worn to a Frazzle
Meaning: Extremely tired and frayed, both physically and mentally, as if unraveling.
In a Sentence: Balancing her demanding job and night classes had her worn to a frazzle, craving a weekend of rest.
18. On Your Last Legs
Meaning: Nearing complete exhaustion, with just enough energy to barely keep going.
In a Sentence: After dancing for hours at the festival, they were on their last legs, leaning on each other for support.
19. Bushed
Meaning: Very tired, often after physical exertion or a long, demanding day.
In a Sentence: The long trek through the forest left him bushed, collapsing by the campfire with a sigh of relief.
20. Shattered
Meaning: Completely exhausted, often with a sense of being broken or overwhelmed by fatigue.
In a Sentence: The emotional weight of the week’s challenges left her shattered, unable to process anything further.
21. Creamed
Meaning: Slang for being utterly exhausted, often after a particularly tough task.
In a Sentence: The rigorous boot camp workout left him creamed, barely able to crawl to the showers afterward.
22. Fried
Meaning: Mentally or physically exhausted, often from overthinking or intense effort.
In a Sentence: Hours of debugging complex code left her brain fried, needing a break to clear her mind.
23. Wasted
Meaning: Completely worn out or depleted, often with a sense of being used up.
In a Sentence: The all-night dance party left them wasted, sprawled across the living room floor in exhaustion.
24. Whacked
Meaning: Extremely tired, as if hit hard by a wave of fatigue.
In a Sentence: The long commute after a full workday left her whacked, collapsing onto the couch without changing.
25. Played Out
Meaning: Exhausted or no longer able to continue due to a lack of energy.
In a Sentence: By the end of the championship game, the athletes were played out, barely able to celebrate their victory.
26. Sapped
Meaning: Having your energy drained or depleted, often by a demanding or tedious task.
In a Sentence: The endless stream of customer complaints sapped her energy, leaving her too tired to socialize.
27. Done For
Meaning: Completely exhausted or finished, with no strength to carry on.
In a Sentence: After the 12-hour shift at the factory, he was done for, unable to do anything but sleep.
28. Flat Out
Meaning: Exhausted from working at maximum effort or capacity for an extended period.
In a Sentence: The team was flat out after preparing for the product launch, needing a few days to recover their strength.
29. Washed Out
Meaning: Feeling weak, tired, or lacking energy, often accompanied by a pale or drained appearance.
In a Sentence: The stomach bug left her washed out, barely able to get out of bed for several days.
30. Run Ragged
Meaning: Exhausted from being overworked or constantly busy with no time to rest.
In a Sentence: The holiday preparations ran her ragged, juggling shopping, decorating, and hosting with no downtime.
31. Worn Out
Meaning: Completely exhausted, as if used up like an old, frayed object.
In a Sentence: The demanding schedule of rehearsals wore her out, leaving her desperate for a quiet evening.
32. Dead Beat
Meaning: Utterly exhausted, often with a sense of being defeated by fatigue.
In a Sentence: The cross-country road trip left them dead beat, checking into a motel to sleep for hours.
33. Drooping
Meaning: Physically or mentally sagging from exhaustion, like a wilting plant.
In a Sentence: By the end of the charity event, the organizers were drooping, barely able to keep their heads up.
34. Faint from Fatigue
Meaning: So exhausted that you feel close to collapsing or losing consciousness.
In a Sentence: The combination of heat and long hours of labor left him faint from fatigue, needing to rest immediately.
35. Ready to Drop
Meaning: So tired that you feel you might collapse at any moment from sheer exhaustion.
In a Sentence: After painting the entire house in one day, she was ready to drop, unable to lift another brush.
36. Bleary-Eyed
Meaning: Tired to the point where your eyes are watery, blurry, or heavy from lack of sleep.
In a Sentence: Staying up late to finish the novel left him bleary-eyed, struggling to focus on his morning tasks.
37. Punch-Drunk
Meaning: Dazed and disoriented from extreme exhaustion, like a boxer after a fight.
In a Sentence: The week of night shifts left her punch-drunk, forgetting where she parked her car in the lot.
38. Groggy
Meaning: Feeling sluggish, disoriented, or slow due to tiredness or lack of sleep.
In a Sentence: Waking up after only a few hours of rest, he felt groggy, needing multiple cups of coffee to function.
39. Out of Steam
Meaning: Having no energy left to continue, like a machine that’s run out of power.
In a Sentence: Halfway through the marathon, she ran out of steam, walking the rest of the course to the finish line.
40. Sleepyheaded
Meaning: Feeling drowsy or mentally foggy due to tiredness or just waking up.
In a Sentence: The early morning meeting left her sleepyheaded, struggling to follow the complex discussion.
41. Drowsy
Meaning: Feeling sleepy or on the verge of falling asleep due to exhaustion.
In a Sentence: The monotonous lecture left her drowsy, fighting to keep her eyes open until the end.
42. Lethargic
Meaning: Lacking energy or enthusiasm, often due to physical or mental fatigue.
In a Sentence: The oppressive heat made him lethargic, unable to summon the energy to complete his chores.
43. Sluggish
Meaning: Moving or thinking slowly due to tiredness or low energy levels.
In a Sentence: After a sleepless night, she felt sluggish, taking twice as long to finish her morning routine.
44. Heavy-Lidded
Meaning: Having eyelids that feel heavy or droopy due to extreme tiredness.
In a Sentence: The late-night study session left him heavy-lidded, barely able to read the textbook’s fine print.
45. Overworked
Meaning: Exhausted from being given too many tasks or responsibilities without adequate rest.
In a Sentence: The understaffed department left the team overworked, struggling to meet deadlines without collapsing.
46. Exhausted to the Core
Meaning: Deeply tired, with every part of your being feeling completely depleted.
In a Sentence: The emotional and physical demands of caregiving left her exhausted to the core, yearning for a break.
47. Burnt to a Crisp
Meaning: Completely exhausted, often with a humorous nod to being “cooked” by effort or stress.
In a Sentence: The intense rehearsal schedule left the actors burnt to a crisp, sprawled across the stage in exhaustion.
48. Dead to the World
Meaning: So exhausted or deeply asleep that you’re unaware of your surroundings.
In a Sentence: After the grueling day of hiking, he was dead to the world, sleeping through his phone’s loud alarm.
49. Frazzled
Meaning: Exhausted and mentally frayed, often from stress or being overwhelmed.
In a Sentence: The chaotic week of managing multiple crises left her frazzled, needing a quiet day to unwind.
50. Kaput
Meaning: Completely worn out or broken down, often used humorously to describe extreme tiredness.
In a Sentence: After the all-day music festival, they were kaput, barely able to drag themselves back to the car.
Quizzes About The Idioms in The Article
Quiz 1: Dead on Your Feet
What does the idiom “Dead on your feet” mean?
a) Feeling energized and ready to go
b) So exhausted you can barely stand or function
c) Standing tall with confidence
d) Running quickly to finish a task
Quiz 2: Burned Out
What is the meaning of “Burned out”?
a) Full of energy and motivation
b) Completely drained mentally and physically
c) Excited about a new challenge
d) Relaxed after a long rest
Quiz 3: Running on Fumes
When someone says, “Running on fumes,” what are they emphasizing?
a) Having plenty of energy to spare
b) Operating with very little energy left
c) Feeling refreshed and alert
d) Being highly productive
Quiz 4: Wiped Out
What does the idiom “Wiped out” suggest?
a) Feeling energized after a task
b) Utterly exhausted with no energy left
c) Completing a task quickly
d) Starting a new activity with enthusiasm
Quiz 5: Bone Tired
What situation is described by the idiom “Bone tired”?
a) Feeling a deep, penetrating exhaustion
b) Being full of energy and vitality
c) Experiencing mild discomfort
d) Feeling emotionally uplifted
Quiz 6: Knackered
If someone is “knackered,” what do they mean?
a) They are completely exhausted
b) They are ready to start a new task
c) They are feeling refreshed
d) They are emotionally excited
Quiz 7: Zonked
What does the expression “Zonked” imply?
a) Feeling disoriented from exhaustion
b) Being highly alert and focused
c) Starting a new project with energy
d) Feeling calm and relaxed
Quiz 8: Worn to a Frazzle
When is it appropriate to say, “Worn to a frazzle”?
a) When feeling energized and ready
b) When extremely tired and frayed
c) When starting a new hobby
d) When completing a task easily
Quiz 9: On Your Last Legs
What is the meaning of “On your last legs”?
a) Having barely enough energy to continue
b) Feeling strong and capable
c) Starting a new challenge with enthusiasm
d) Resting comfortably
Quiz 10: Dead to the World
When someone says, “Dead to the world,” what are they describing?
a) Being highly alert and aware
b) Being so exhausted or asleep that they’re unaware of surroundings
c) Feeling energized and active
d) Starting a new day with enthusiasm
Answers:
- b
- b
- b
- b
- a
- a
- a
- b
- a
- b
Conclusion
Idioms for tiredness are like verbal snapshots of exhaustion, capturing the essence of physical, mental, or emotional fatigue with vivid imagery and humor. Whether you’re describing being dead on your feet, burnt to a crisp, or just plain kaput, these expressions add a lively twist to conversations about weariness. Next time you’re feeling drained, weave a few of these idioms into your dialogue to share your fatigue with creativity and personality.