Everyone feels tired sometimes, whether it’s after a long day at school, a tough workout, or just too many sleepless nights in a row. But instead of always saying “I’m tired,” using idioms can make your conversations more fun, colorful, and creative. Idioms add flavor to language and help you describe your feelings in a way that’s more interesting and relatable.
Learning tiredness-related idioms can also help you improve your speaking and writing skills by giving you new ways to express how drained or worn out you feel. Whether you’re slightly sleepy or completely exhausted, there’s an idiom to match every situation. In this post, you’ll discover 50 useful idioms about feeling tired, complete with meanings, examples, and alternative ways to say the same thing. Let’s jump into the world of yawns, heavy eyes, and power naps!
Idioms for Tired
1. Burned out
Meaning: Feeling completely exhausted because of too much work or stress.
In a Sentence: After studying for finals all week without taking any breaks, I felt completely burned out and couldn’t even look at another textbook.
Other Ways to Say: Worn out, Mentally drained
2. Dead tired
Meaning: Extremely tired, almost like you have no energy left at all.
In a Sentence: By the time we finished hiking up the mountain, I was dead tired and could barely keep my eyes open.
Other Ways to Say: Exhausted, Completely worn out
3. Running on empty
Meaning: Having no energy or strength left but still trying to keep going.
In a Sentence: I’ve been working two jobs lately, and honestly, I feel like I’m running on empty every single day.
Other Ways to Say: Drained, Out of energy
4. Dog-tired
Meaning: Extremely tired, as if you’ve been working or moving all day long.
In a Sentence: After moving boxes into our new house for hours, we were all dog-tired and ready to collapse on the floor.
Other Ways to Say: Bone-tired, Beat
5. Wiped out
Meaning: Feeling completely used up, with no strength or energy remaining.
In a Sentence: After the five-hour soccer tournament, I was so wiped out that I fell asleep in the car on the way home.
Other Ways to Say: Totally drained, Exhausted
6. Beat
Meaning: Feeling extremely tired, like you have nothing left to give.
In a Sentence: I stayed up all night finishing my project, and now I’m completely beat and just want to sleep for a week.
Other Ways to Say: Tired out, Drained
7. Ready to drop
Meaning: So tired that you feel like you could fall over at any moment.
In a Sentence: After working two shifts back to back, I was ready to drop the moment I walked through the door.
Other Ways to Say: About to collapse, Extremely fatigued
8. Dead on my feet
Meaning: Being so tired that it’s hard to even stay standing.
In a Sentence: I was dead on my feet after volunteering at the community event all day without sitting down once.
Other Ways to Say: Totally worn out, Completely exhausted
9. Out like a light
Meaning: Falling asleep instantly because you’re extremely tired.
In a Sentence: The moment my head hit the pillow after our road trip, I was out like a light and didn’t wake up until morning.
Other Ways to Say: Fell asleep instantly, Knocked out
10. Bone-tired
Meaning: A deep, heavy tiredness that you feel in your whole body.
In a Sentence: After spending the entire weekend helping my grandparents clean their attic, I was bone-tired and sore all over.
Other Ways to Say: Exhausted, Dead tired
11. Feel like a zombie
Meaning: Feeling so tired that you’re moving and thinking very slowly, like you’re half-asleep.
In a Sentence: After pulling two all-nighters in a row, I felt like a zombie just dragging myself through the day without any real focus.
Other Ways to Say: Out of it, Brain fog
12. Hit the sack
Meaning: To go to bed because you’re tired and need to sleep.
In a Sentence: As soon as I finished dinner, I was so exhausted that I had to hit the sack and didn’t wake up until morning.
Other Ways to Say: Go to bed, Crash
13. Dead to the world
Meaning: Being in such a deep sleep that nothing can wake you up.
In a Sentence: I was so tired after my trip that when I finally fell asleep, I was dead to the world and didn’t even hear my alarm.
Other Ways to Say: In deep sleep, Completely out
14. Half-asleep
Meaning: Being very tired and not fully awake or alert.
In a Sentence: I was half-asleep during my first class because I stayed up way too late finishing my science project.
Other Ways to Say: Drowsy, Barely awake
15. Dragging my feet
Meaning: Moving slowly because you’re too tired to hurry.
In a Sentence: After working a double shift at the restaurant, I was dragging my feet all the way home and barely made it up the stairs.
Other Ways to Say: Moving slowly, Sluggish
16. Burn the candle at both ends
Meaning: Using up all your energy by working late at night and waking up early, without enough rest.
In a Sentence: I’ve been burning the candle at both ends trying to balance school, sports, and my part-time job, and now I’m totally wiped out.
Other Ways to Say: Overworking, Wearing myself out
17. Run ragged
Meaning: Being exhausted because of constantly working or rushing around.
In a Sentence: My mom has been run ragged this week, trying to juggle her job, errands, and helping me with my school project.
Other Ways to Say: Exhausted, Overwhelmed
18. Ready to crash
Meaning: Feeling extremely tired and ready to go to sleep immediately.
In a Sentence: After spending all day at the amusement park in the hot sun, I was completely ready to crash the second we got home.
Other Ways to Say: Fall asleep quickly, Pass out
19. Need forty winks
Meaning: Needing a short nap to feel a little more refreshed.
In a Sentence: I was so drained after lunch that I desperately needed forty winks before I could even think about starting my homework.
Other Ways to Say: Take a nap, Quick rest
20. Running out of steam
Meaning: Losing energy and getting slower after a strong start.
In a Sentence: I felt great at the beginning of the marathon, but around mile fifteen, I started running out of steam and could barely keep going.
Other Ways to Say: Losing momentum, Slowing down
21. Knocked out cold
Meaning: Falling asleep very suddenly and sleeping deeply.
In a Sentence: After a full day of swimming at the beach, I got knocked out cold the moment my head hit the couch.
Other Ways to Say: Fast asleep, Out cold
22. Pooped
Meaning: Feeling very tired and drained, often after working hard.
In a Sentence: I spent the entire afternoon helping set up for the school fair, and by the end of the day, I was completely pooped.
Other Ways to Say: Worn out, Beat
23. Kaput
Meaning: Completely worn out, broken, or finished.
In a Sentence: After lifting heavy furniture all morning, my back felt kaput and I couldn’t lift a single thing more.
Other Ways to Say: Done for, Out of energy
24. Feeling drained
Meaning: Feeling empty of all energy or motivation.
In a Sentence: After attending back-to-back meetings without any real break, I was feeling drained and ready to call it a day.
Other Ways to Say: Totally exhausted, Empty
25. Out of gas
Meaning: Having no more energy to keep going.
In a Sentence: I was doing fine at first, but after hours of cleaning the house, I felt completely out of gas and had to sit down.
Other Ways to Say: Out of energy, Worn down
26. Sleep like a log
Meaning: Sleeping very deeply and soundly.
In a Sentence: After camping in the cold all weekend, I came home, crawled into my warm bed, and slept like a log until noon.
Other Ways to Say: Deep sleep, Knocked out
27. Deadbeat
Meaning: Someone who is extremely tired or lazy from exhaustion.
In a Sentence: I felt like such a deadbeat after finals, spending two whole days just lying around doing absolutely nothing.
Other Ways to Say: Lazy, Worn out
28. Heavy-eyed
Meaning: Having eyes that feel heavy because you’re so tired.
In a Sentence: I was so heavy-eyed during the movie that I had to keep blinking just to stay awake.
Other Ways to Say: Sleepy, Droopy-eyed
29. Bone-weary
Meaning: Being extremely and deeply tired, down to your bones.
In a Sentence: After days of traveling from one city to another with barely any rest, I felt bone-weary and couldn’t wait to sleep in my own bed again.
Other Ways to Say: Deeply tired, Exhausted
30. Bushed
Meaning: Feeling extremely tired, often from physical labor.
In a Sentence: After working all day under the sun at the car wash fundraiser, we were all completely bushed and could hardly stand up straight.
Other Ways to Say: Tuckered out, Wiped out
31. Dragging
Meaning: Moving very slowly because you’re extremely tired.
In a Sentence: I was dragging myself across the school hallway after pulling an all-nighter to finish my science project.
Other Ways to Say: Sluggish, Moving slowly
32. Punch-drunk
Meaning: Feeling confused and exhausted, like you can’t think clearly.
In a Sentence: After staying awake for two nights straight working on my college application, I was punch-drunk and couldn’t even remember my own address.
Other Ways to Say: Dazed, Out of it
33. Running low
Meaning: Having very little energy left to keep going.
In a Sentence: Halfway through my exam, I was running low on both brainpower and energy, barely managing to answer the last questions.
Other Ways to Say: Drained, Out of strength
34. Feeling haggard
Meaning: Looking tired and worn out, especially in your face.
In a Sentence: After a week of staying up late to meet deadlines, I showed up to work looking completely haggard and in desperate need of coffee.
Other Ways to Say: Worn out, Exhausted
35. Out on my feet
Meaning: Being so tired that you could fall asleep standing up.
In a Sentence: After chasing my little cousins around all afternoon, I was practically out on my feet by the time their parents arrived.
Other Ways to Say: About to collapse, Dead tired
36. Ready to pass out
Meaning: Feeling so exhausted that you could faint or fall asleep at any moment.
In a Sentence: After a long day volunteering at the animal shelter, I was ready to pass out before dinner even started.
Other Ways to Say: About to fall asleep, Faint from exhaustion
37. Sacked out
Meaning: Falling asleep very quickly and deeply.
In a Sentence: As soon as we got home from our road trip, I sacked out on the couch and didn’t move until morning.
Other Ways to Say: Crashed, Knocked out
38. Blown away
Meaning: Being overwhelmed and tired after an intense experience.
In a Sentence: After giving my big presentation in front of hundreds of people, I was mentally blown away and needed a long nap to recover.
Other Ways to Say: Overwhelmed, Exhausted
39. Took it out of me
Meaning: Something that made you extremely tired.
In a Sentence: Helping my neighbor move all her furniture really took it out of me, and I had to cancel my evening plans to rest.
Other Ways to Say: Drained me, Wore me out
40. Fried
Meaning: Mentally or physically exhausted to the point of being unable to function properly.
In a Sentence: After studying for my finals non-stop for three days, I was completely fried and couldn’t even think straight.
Other Ways to Say: Burnt out, Totally exhausted
41. Drained dry
Meaning: Feeling completely empty of energy or strength.
In a Sentence: After a week of exams and no real breaks, I felt drained dry and just wanted to lie down and do nothing.
Other Ways to Say: Depleted, Wiped out
42. Hit the wall
Meaning: Reaching a point where you can’t continue because you’re so tired.
In a Sentence: I hit the wall around midnight while working on my essay, realizing I couldn’t focus for another second.
Other Ways to Say: Reached my limit, Broke down
43. Running thin
Meaning: Having almost no energy or patience left.
In a Sentence: By the end of the school day, my energy—and my patience—were running thin thanks to all the noise and chaos.
Other Ways to Say: Almost out, Barely hanging on
44. Nodding off
Meaning: Starting to fall asleep without meaning to.
In a Sentence: During the long lecture, I kept nodding off because I stayed up way too late studying.
Other Ways to Say: Dozing off, Falling asleep
45. All tuckered out
Meaning: Very tired, usually after a lot of activity.
In a Sentence: After a day at the water park, the kids were all tuckered out and fell asleep in the car before we even left the parking lot.
Other Ways to Say: Exhausted, Worn out
46. Sleep-deprived
Meaning: Extremely tired due to not getting enough sleep.
In a Sentence: I’ve been so sleep-deprived this week that I actually forgot what day it was.
Other Ways to Say: Lack of sleep, Exhausted
47. Shattered
Meaning: Feeling completely exhausted and broken down.
In a Sentence: I was completely shattered after the 12-hour road trip and needed an entire day to recover.
Other Ways to Say: Extremely tired, Destroyed
48. Spent
Meaning: Having no energy left at all.
In a Sentence: I felt completely spent after sprinting across campus to make it to my exam on time.
Other Ways to Say: Exhausted, Burned out
49. Faint with fatigue
Meaning: So tired that you feel dizzy or like you might pass out.
In a Sentence: By the time I finished the marathon, I was faint with fatigue and had to sit down immediately.
Other Ways to Say: Extremely tired, About to collapse
50. Out for the count
Meaning: Being so tired that you fall into a deep, uninterrupted sleep.
In a Sentence: As soon as I got home from my shift at the hospital, I was out for the count until the next morning.
Other Ways to Say: Deeply asleep, Knocked out
Practical Exercise
Fill in the blanks:
- After carrying all those heavy bags, I was completely _______ tired.
- Once I got home, I hit the _______ because I couldn’t stay awake any longer.
- Working nonstop for three days left me feeling totally _______ dry.
- I kept _______ off during the lecture because I barely slept the night before.
- After that intense workout, I was ready to _______ out on the bench.
- Studying all night really took it _______ of me.
- After the long hike, I was _______ my feet and almost fell asleep standing up.
- Running two miles after school left me completely _______ out.
- During finals week, I was so sleep-_______ that I forgot to submit my assignment.
- After a whole day at the amusement park, the kids were all _______ out.
Answers:
dead, sack, drained, nodding, crash, out, on, wiped, deprived, tuckered
Conclusion
Tiredness is something we all experience, but with so many expressive idioms available, we can describe our exhaustion in much more creative and relatable ways. Using idioms about feeling tired not only adds personality to your conversations but also shows a deeper understanding of the language and how emotions can be expressed through vivid images.
Keep practicing these tiredness idioms in your daily life whenever you feel drained, wiped out, or just plain exhausted. The more you use them naturally in your conversations and writing, the more colorful and interesting your communication will become. Remember—there’s always a perfect idiom to match how you’re feeling, even when you’re too tired to find the words!