1.
to sprawl; to lie down lazily; to lounge around
To lie stretched out in a relaxed, often careless manner. Implies a casual, idle posture rather than sleeping.
ソファーに寝そべる。
To sprawl on the sofa.
猫が日当たりのいい場所で寝そべっている。
The cat is sprawled out in a sunny spot.
休日は一日中芝生に寝そべって本を読んでいた。
On my day off, I spent the whole day lying on the grass reading a book.
寝そべる is an intransitive godan verb. It emphasizes a relaxed, sprawled-out posture — not sleeping, but lying down idly.
ASPECT (ている):
寝そべっている describes someone currently lying sprawled out.
PARTICLE PATTERNS:
- ～に寝そべる (to sprawl on a surface)
- ～で寝そべる (to lounge around in a place)
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- ソファーに寝そべる (to sprawl on the sofa)
- 床に寝そべる (to sprawl on the floor)
- 芝生に寝そべる (to lie on the grass)
RELATED WORDS:
横になる is a neutral way to say "to lie down." 寝そべる adds the nuance of doing so lazily or casually, often with limbs spread out.