3 meanings
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1 —as in:
Talk to me when your sober.
Definition
not under the influence of alcohol- She was still sober enough to know the situation was dangerous.
sober = not under the influence of alcohol
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- I'm worried about her. I seldom see her sober and without a hangover.
- I don't want to be with anyone who can't have fun when they're sober.
- Her expression was sober.
- I have been sober for almost two years.
- and how long will yuh stay sober now?Eugene O'Neill -- The Iceman Cometh
- In the middle of a crazy and drunk life, you have to hang on to the good and sober moments tightly.Sherman Alexie -- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
- When I'm sober, I'm able to control my urges.Colleen Hoover -- Hopeless
- He turns in his seat to look at us and explains, "They're just doing one of those sobriety checks."An Na -- A Step from Heaven
- I've never been this sober around people this wasted, and I say a brief prayer that I'm not half as annoying as they are when I'm drunk.Lauren Oliver -- Before I Fall
sober = not under the influence of alcohol
sober = not under the influence of alcohol
sober = not under the influence of alcohol
sober = not under the influence of alcohol
sobriety = the state of not being under the influence of alcohol
sober = not under the influence of alcohol
2 —as in:
a sobering thought
Definition
serious; or making one serious or calm- These are sobering statistics that should leave all of us concerned.
sobering = making one serious about an issue
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- She stopped laughing and said in a sober tone, ...
- When he turned round to me, his face was sober.Robert Newton Peck -- A Day No Pigs Would Die
- "Save them and they'll kill you," he said soberly.D.J. Machale -- The Merchant of Death
- Her associates said little but looked sober and occasionally made important-looking notations on the yellow legal pads that lawyers never seemed to tire of.J.D. Robb -- Glory in Death
- Napoleon Letsitsi, was a young man of sober habits and good conduct,Alan Paton -- Cry, the Beloved Country
- I was trying to jolly her but Star doesn't jolly. She answered in sober earnest.Robert A. Heinlein -- Glory Road
- But the strangest part of the affair is the effect of this vagary, even on a sober-minded man like myself.Nathaniel Hawthorne -- The Minister's Black Veil
- In a sober voice my father said, "Some day you may have to live in town."Wilson Rawls -- Where the Red Fern Grows
- Everyone thought soberly for a minute,Louisa May Alcott -- Little Women
sober = serious
sober = serious
soberly = seriously
sober = serious
sober = serious (not reckless or thoughtless)
sober = serious
sober = serious
sober = serious
soberly = seriously
3 —as in:
I need to sober up.
Definition
to become less drunk- Coffee doesn't really help one to sober up; though it does help fight sleepiness.
sober up = become less drunk
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- Talk to me after you sober up.
- After we sobered up a bit with coffee and Mini Thins, Patrick drove me home.Stephen Chbosky -- The Perks of Being a Wallflower
- I needed to sober up a little, so I walked.J.D. Robb -- Immortal in Death
- He sobered up afterward... .Ernest Hemingway -- The Sun Also Rises
- I feel like I'm sobering up after drinking all night.Lauren Oliver -- Before I Fall
- He sobered up a little when we began to clip off the small yellow weeds choking the roses.Victor Martinez -- Parrot in the Oven
- But you sure didn't get drunk at Fort Carthage and then walk all this way without sobering up.Orson Scott Card -- Red Prophet
- There were third-cousins who had not seen her in years but gave up half a day's pay at the mill to be there; an old drunk who sobered up for her out of respect and sat pale and quietly shaking in the back pew; an ancient, hawk-nosed, hard-eyed man who had not seen her since he was young, but remembered she had once poured him a glass of buttermilk, or was it coffee?Rick Bragg -- All Over but the Shoutin'
- We step out into the freezing air and it helps sober me up a little.Lauren Oliver -- Before I Fall
sober up = become less drunk (or get completely past drunkenness)
sobered up = became less drunk
sober up = become less drunk
sobered up = became less drunk (or got completely past drunkenness)
sobering up = becoming less drunk (or getting completely past drunkenness)
sobered up = became less drunk
sobering up = becoming less drunk
sobered up = stopped drinking long enough that he wasn't drunk
Less commonly:
More rarely, sober can refer to one who is rational rather than under the influence of extreme emotion. Also more rarely, it can reference that which is practical rather than fanciful -- such as "a more sober plan."