drift off

drift off

1. To move slowly away from someone or something, especially while propelled by wind or water. I held the feather in my palm until it drifted off into the air.
2. To gradually fall sleep. I really do want to watch this movie with you, but I'm so tired that I keep drifting off.
3. To lose interest and stop paying attention to someone or something. I think you need to add some humor to this speech so that your audience doesn't drift off while you're talking.
4. To slowly leave one place or thing to go to another. We all had a hard time saying good-bye to each other, but eventually we all drifted off to our cars.
See also: drift, off
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

drift off

to move slowly away. The boat slowly drifted off and was gone. The clouds drifted off and the sun came out.
See also: drift, off
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

drift off

v.
1. To move away slowly, especially while being carried by currents of air or water: The stick drifted off with the river current. The child let go of the balloon and it drifted off toward the horizon.
2. To walk slowly toward some other place or area: As they left the cafeteria, the students started drifting off toward the gym.
3. To fall asleep gradually: I drifted off while watching television. I was so tired that I drifted off.
4. To stop listening or paying attention to someone or something: The professor noted that most of the students had drifted off during the lecture.
See also: drift, off
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • drift away
  • drift apart
  • drift along
  • drifting
  • back away
  • drift back
  • drift with
  • drift with (something)
  • feather brain
  • fur and feather
References in periodicals archive
We have drift off: Evidence shows fish can help you sleep
ROOM AT THE FIN.. Tired travellers offered fishy friend to help them sleep
Haloed in white on smooth cream grounds, the words seem ready to break away from their panels and drift off into the air of the gallery and the world beyond.
Ricci Albenda: Andrew Kreps Gallery
Once this familiarization period is over, the RDCW becomes fully active, and provides levels of warning equivalent to whether the vehicle begins to drift off path, or is traveling too fast to negotiate an upcoming curve.
Hal is my co-pilot
Cahill, Sasso, and Corrigan attend the first but tend to drift off when the second begins.
Who's who: Kerry-Edwards campaign edition
That lethal subcategory is the drift-off-road crash, defined as drivers who drift off the road due to drowsiness, inattention, or distraction.
Rumbling toward safety: Michigan study finds that the most severe run-off crash is the drift-off and that rumble strip design and placement significantly reduce these crashes
If a teacher for example determines that specific students have a tendency to drift off at specific times each day, then strategies can be prescribed to counteract this problem.
How to Recognize and Counteract Student Inattentiveness in the Classroom
A typical result is that such devices will significantly drift off from their original operating point within a few days.
VERY LOW-NOISE SINGLE ELECTRON TUNNELING TRANSISTORS
People tend to drift off of the issue and into new territory.
Seven lessons in medical management
"Birds are not cooperative because they can fly out of the field of camera range," he says, watching a few computer specks drift off the screen.
A flight of fancy mathematics: chaos brings harmony to a birder's puzzle
Adrien Rabiot 8 Ability to drift off his marker to dictate play was a joy to behold.
Man by Man
Whether you're looking for a sumptuous sofa to relax and unwind, a divine dining set for enjoying family feasts or a blissful bed to help you drift off at night, you'll discover the perfect piece for every room at Leekes.
Relax and unwind with some classic pieces; ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
PS39.95, potwells.co.uk |Having a night light can help kids drift off into peaceful sleep
three of the best
THE Bach Rescue Night range is formulated, using five of the Bach Original Flower Essences, to help you drift off more easily.
Bach Rescue Night range; tried & tested
But Scotland, the North East and Yorkshire bore the brunt of the white hell-which is predicted to drift off by the weekend.
Snow joke being a white hell's Angel
Coroner Eric Armstrong said: "It seems to me to be likely that he had begun to drift off to sleep, because there seems little other reason for these drifting tyre marks."
Fatigue blamed for fatal smash