Showing Results for "bedding"

See Also:

• present participle of bed.

bedding

American  

[bed-ing] / ˈbɛd ɪŋ /

noun

1. blankets, sheets, etc., used on a bed; bedclothes.

2. bedclothes together with a mattress.

3. litter; straw, etc., as a bed for animals.

4. Building Trades.

   1. a foundation or bottom layer.

   2. a thin layer of putty laid in the rabbet of a window frame or muntin to give a pane of glass an even backing.

5. Geology. arrangement of sedimentary rocks in strata.

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adjective

1. Horticulture. of or relating to a plant especially suited to or prepared for planting in an open-air bed for ornamental displays.

   bedding hyacinths; bedding begonias.

bedding British  

/ ˈbɛdɪŋ /

noun

1. bedclothes, sometimes considered together with a mattress

2. litter, such as straw, for animals

3. something acting as a foundation, such as mortar under a brick

4. the arrangement of a mass of rocks into distinct layers; stratification

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Etymology

Origin of bedding

before 1000; Middle English, Old English; bed, -ing ¹

Explanation

Use the word bedding when you're talking about sheets, pillowcases, blankets, or any other coverings for a bed. If you switch from a twin to a queen-sized bed, you'll need new bedding. When a college student moves into a dorm room she brings her own bedding, and when your grandmother gets her guest room ready for a visitor, she might wash all the bedding. Bedding also means the straw, hay, or other materials that a farm animal sleeps on — or the shredded paper you use to line your gerbil's cage. It comes from the Old English word beddinge, "bed covering," from bedd, "bed" or "resting place."

Example Sentences

The concept of the shoppable hotel room dates to 1999, when Westin stocked its rooms with the Heavenly Bed by Simmons Bedding Company, which guests could then purchase at Nordstrom.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 7, 2026

Downright Bedding has been perfecting down for 50 years, handcrafting comforters, pillows, and feather beds to order.

From Salon • Nov. 20, 2025

Sacha Bedding, chief executive of the trust, warns of a short-term crisis, with rising prices for heating and food combining with the end of a bigger welfare payment that was provided during the pandemic.

From New York Times • Oct. 2, 2021

Bedding down on food hall seats... using rolled up clothes as pillows... sharing midnight snacks...

From BBC • Nov. 8, 2019

Mr. Cyrus Bedding was mistaken in the anticipation that Clare's 'machinery of thought' would ever get again 'into the regular workings.'

From The Life of John Clare by Martin, Frederick

Related Words

• bed linen
• bedspread
• blanket
• comforter
• linen
• pillow
• pillowcase
• quilt
• sheet