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bedfellow

American  
[bed-fel-oh] / ˈbɛdˌfɛl oʊ /

noun

  1. Also called bedmate.  a person who shares one's bed.

  2. an associate or collaborator, especially one who forms a temporary alliance for reasons of expediency.

    Politics makes strange bedfellows.


bedfellow British  
/ ˈbɛdˌfɛləʊ /

noun

  1. a person with whom one shares a bed

  2. a temporary ally or associate

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bedfellow

First recorded in 1400–50, bedfellow is from the late Middle English word bedfelow. See bed, fellow

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Image: Tor.com Bedfellow by Jeremy C. Shipp When a strange man named Marvin appears in the Lund’s home, they’re initially terrified, but after he saves one of the family’s children, reality begins to shift.

From The Verge • Nov. 15, 2018

Faugh! how he stinks of Tobacco! what a delicate Bedfellow I shou'd have!

From The Busie Body by Byrd, Jess

Go you wilde Bedfellow, you cannot Soothsay Char.

From Antony and Cleopatra by Shakespeare, William

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