Slipper vs. Sleeper — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on December 22, 2023
Slipper is a light, comfortable shoe typically worn indoors, while Sleeper refers to a person or thing that sleeps or, in other contexts, something with potential that is not immediately obvious.
Difference Between Slipper and Sleeper
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Key Differences
Slipper is a type of footwear designed for comfort, often worn indoors.Sleeper refers to a person who is sleeping, or in other contexts, it can denote an object or person with unexpected potential or capabilities.
Slippers come in various styles, like moccasins or slip-ons, and are made for comfort. Sleepers can be things like sleeper agents (in espionage), sleeper hits (in entertainment), or sleeper cars (in trains).
Slippers are usually made of soft, lightweight materials like fleece or soft leather. Sleepers, in the context of furniture, can refer to convertible sofas or chairs that turn into beds.
Slippers are often associated with home comfort and relaxation. Sleepers can have various meanings, like sleeper cells in security contexts or sleeper movies that gain popularity unexpectedly.
Slippers are primarily for foot comfort, especially in a home setting. Sleepers refer to individuals or things that are or seem inactive but have significant potential or function.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A comfortable indoor shoe
A person or thing that sleeps or something with hidden potential
Variations
Various styles like moccasins, slip-ons
Sleeper agents, sleeper hits, sleeper cars, sleeper sofas
Material/Design
Made of soft materials for comfort
Can refer to furniture or individuals with potential
Cultural Context
Associated with home comfort
Varied meanings in security, entertainment, furniture
Functional Purpose
Footwear for comfort
Individuals or things with latent or hidden capabilities
Compare with Definitions
Slipper
Soft Shoe: Slippers are soft shoes typically made of materials like fleece or soft leather.
His new slippers were made of fine sheepskin.
Sleeper
Person Sleeping: A sleeper is a person who is sleeping.
The baby was a peaceful sleeper throughout the night.
Slipper
Indoor Footwear: A slipper is a light, comfortable shoe worn primarily indoors.
She put on her cozy slippers on a cold evening.
Sleeper
Hidden Potential: In entertainment, a sleeper can be a movie or show that becomes unexpectedly popular.
That movie was a sleeper hit, gaining popularity months after its release.
Slipper
House Shoe: Slippers are often referred to as house shoes.
She left her slippers by the door when she entered the house.
Sleeper
Undercover Agent: In espionage, a sleeper agent is someone who remains undercover until activated.
The novel revolved around the life of a sleeper agent in a foreign country.
Slipper
Comfort Wear: A slipper is designed for comfort and ease of use at home.
After a long day, he relaxed in his favorite slippers.
Sleeper
Train Compartment: A sleeper can be a sleeping car on a train.
They booked a sleeper for their overnight train journey.
Slipper
Bedroom Shoe: In some regions, slippers are called bedroom shoes.
She always kept a pair of slippers under her bed.
Sleeper
Convertible Furniture: A sleeper can be a sofa or chair that converts into a bed.
Their living room had a comfortable sleeper sofa for guests.
Slipper
Slippers are light footwear that are easy to put on and off and are intended to be worn indoors, particularly at home. They provide comfort and protection for the feet when walking indoors.
Sleeper
One that sleeps
A heavy sleeper who was not wakened by the burglar.
Slipper
A comfortable slip-on shoe that is worn indoors.
Sleeper
A sleeping car.
Slipper
Beat (someone) with a slipper
He didn't slipper me hard
Sleeper
Often sleepers Children's pajamas, usually with legs that cover the feet.
Slipper
A low shoe that can be slipped on and off easily and is usually worn indoors.
Sleeper
One that achieves unexpected recognition or success, as a racehorse or movie.
Slipper
A low soft shoe that can be slipped on and off easily.
Sleeper
A spy or saboteur who is planted in an enemy country and who lives unobtrusively as a citizen of that country until activated into clandestine operations by a prearranged signal.
Slipper
Such a shoe intended for indoor use; a bedroom or house slipper.
Get out of bed, put on your slippers, and come downstairs.
Sleeper
A horizontal structural member on or near the ground that supports weight.
Slipper
A flip-flop (type of rubber sandal).
Sleeper
Chiefly British A railroad crosstie.
Slipper
A person who slips.
Sleeper
Any of various chiefly tropical fishes of the family Eleotridae of fresh, brackish, and shallow marine waters, resembling the gobies but without fused pelvic fins and noted for their habit of lying immobile.
Slipper
A kind of apron or pinafore for children.
Sleeper
Someone who sleeps.
I'm a light sleeper: I get woken up by the smallest of sounds.
She's a heavy sleeper: it takes a lot to wake her up.
Slipper
A kind of brake or shoe for a wagon wheel.
Sleeper
That which lies dormant, as a law.
Slipper
(engineering) A piece, usually a plate, applied to a sliding piece, to receive wear and permit adjustment; a gib.
Sleeper
A spy, saboteur, or terrorist who lives unobtrusively in a community until activated by a prearranged signal; may be part of a sleeper cell.
Slipper
A form of corporal punishment where the buttocks are repeatedly struck with a plimsoll; "the slipper".
Sleeper
A small starter earring, worn to prevent a piercing from closing.
Slipper
(euphemism) The plimsoll or gym shoe used in this form of punishment.
Sleeper
A railway sleeping car.
We spent a night on an uncomfortable sleeper between Athens and Vienna.
Slipper
(medicine) A kind of bedpan urinal shaped like a shoe.
Sleeper
A sleeper hold.
Slipper
(obsolete) slippery
Sleeper
Something that achieves unexpected success after an interval of time.
A box-office bomb when it first came out, the film was a sleeper, becoming much more popular decades after being released.
Slipper
To spank with a plimsoll as corporal punishment.
Sleeper
A goby-like bottom-feeding freshwater fish of the family Odontobutidae.
Slipper
One who, or that which, slips.
Sleeper
A nurse shark (family Ginglymostomatidae).
Slipper
A kind of light shoe, which may be slipped on with ease, and worn in undress; a slipshoe.
Sleeper
A type of pajama for a person, especially a child, that covers the whole body, including the feet.
Aaron, Devin, and Laura looked so comfy in their sleepers.
Slipper
A kind of apron or pinafore for children.
Sleeper
(slang) An automobile which has been internally modified to excess, while retaining a mostly stock appearance in order to fool opponents in a drag race, or to avoid the attention of the police.
Slipper
A kind of brake or shoe for a wagon wheel.
Sleeper
(slang) A sedative.
Slipper
A piece, usually a plate, applied to a sliding piece, to receive wear and afford a means of adjustment; - also called shoe, and gib.
Sleeper
A bet placed on the gambling table and then forgotten about by the gambler.
Slipper
Slippery.
O! trustless state of earthly things, and slipper hopeOf mortal men.
Sleeper
A railroad tie.
Slipper
Low footwear that can be slipped on and off easily; usually worn indoors
Sleeper
(carpentry) A structural beam in a floor running perpendicular to both the joists beneath and floorboards above.
Slipper
A person who slips or slides because of loss of traction
Sleeper
(nautical) A heavy floor timber in a ship's bottom.
Sleeper
(nautical) The lowest, or bottom, tier of casks.
Sleeper
(rare) To mark a calf by cutting its ear.
Sleeper
One who sleeps; a slumberer; hence, a drone, or lazy person.
Sleeper
That which lies dormant, as a law.
Sleeper
A sleeping car.
Sleeper
An animal that hibernates, as the bear.
Sleeper
A large fresh-water gobioid fish (Eleotris dormatrix).
Sleeper
Something lying in a reclining posture or position.
Sleeper
One of the pieces of timber, stone, or iron, on or near the level of the ground, for the support of some superstructure, to steady framework, to keep in place the rails of a railway, etc.; a stringpiece.
Sleeper
One of the joists, or roughly shaped timbers, laid directly upon the ground, to receive the flooring of the ground story.
Sleeper
One of the knees which connect the transoms to the after timbers on the ship's quarter.
Sleeper
The lowest, or bottom, tier of casks.
Sleeper
A rester who is sleeping
Sleeper
A spy or saboteur or terrorist planted in an enemy country who lives there as a law-abiding citizen until activated by a prearranged signal
Sleeper
An unexpected achiever of success;
The winner was a true sleeper--no one expected him to get it
Sleeper
One of the cross braces that support the rails on a railway track;
The British call a railroad tie a sleeper
Sleeper
A passenger car that has berths for sleeping
Sleeper
A piece of furniture that can be opened up into a bed
Sleeper
Tropical fish that resembles a goby and rests quietly on the bottom in shallow water
Sleeper
An unexpected hit;
That movie was the sleeper of the summer
Common Curiosities
Do slippers come in different sizes?
Yes, slippers are available in various sizes to fit different foot sizes.
Can a sleeper refer to a type of train compartment?
Yes, a sleeper can be a sleeping car in a train.
What is a sleeper hit?
A sleeper hit is something, like a movie, that becomes popular unexpectedly.
Can slippers be worn year-round?
Yes, but the material may vary depending on the season.
Are slippers always soft?
Typically, yes. Slippers are designed to be soft and comfortable.
Is a sleeper sofa multifunctional?
Yes, it serves as both seating and a bed.
Do slippers provide foot support?
Some slippers offer support, but they're generally not designed for this.
Are slippers suitable for outdoor use?
Generally, no. Slippers are designed for indoor comfort.
Can a sleeper be a vehicle?
Yes, in the context of trains, a sleeper is a sleeping compartment.
Can sleeper agents be found in real-world espionage?
Yes, sleeper agents are a real concept in espionage.
Are slippers a fashion statement?
While primarily for comfort, some slippers can be fashionable.
Do sleeper movies always start with low expectations?
Often, but not always. They may just gain popularity slowly.
Are there slippers for outdoor use?
There are outdoor slippers, but they are different from traditional indoor slippers.
Are sleeper cells active in espionage?
Yes, sleeper cells are groups of agents who remain dormant until activated.
Can slippers be gift items?
Absolutely, slippers are popular as comfortable and practical gifts.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
