bed
a piece of furniture upon which or within which a person sleeps, rests, or stays when not well.
the mattress and bedclothes together with the bedstead of a bed.
the bedstead alone.
the act of or time for sleeping: Now for a cup of cocoa and then bed.
the use of a bed for the night; lodging: I reserved a bed at the old inn.
the marital relationship.
any resting place: making his bed under a tree.
something resembling a bed in form or position.
a piece or area of ground in a garden or lawn in which plants are grown.
an area in a greenhouse in which plants are grown.
the plants in such areas.
the bottom of a lake, river, sea, or other body of water.
a piece or part forming a foundation or base.
a layer of rock; a stratum.
a foundation surface of earth or rock supporting a track, pavement, or the like: a gravel bed for the roadway.
Building Trades.
the underside of a stone, brick, slate, tile, etc., laid in position.
the upper side of a stone laid in position.
the layer of mortar in which a brick, stone, etc., is laid.
the natural stratification of a stone: a stone laid on bed.
Furniture. skirt (def. 6b).
the flat surface in a printing press on which the form of type is laid.
Transportation. the body or, sometimes, the floor or bottom of a truck or trailer.
Chemistry. a compact mass of a substance functioning in a reaction as a catalyst or reactant.
Sports.
the canvas surface of a trampoline.
the smooth, wooden floor of a bowling alley.
the slate surface of a billiard table to which the cloth is fastened.
Zoology. flesh enveloping the base of a claw, especially the germinative layer beneath the claw.
Also called mock, mock mold .Shipbuilding. a shaped steel pattern upon which furnaced plates for the hull of a vessel are hammered to shape.
to provide with a bed.
to put to bed.
Horticulture. to plant in or as in a bed.
to lay flat.
to place in a bed or layer: to bed oysters.
to embed, as in a substance: bedding the flagstones in concrete.
to take or accompany to bed for purposes of sexual intercourse.
to have sleeping accommodations: He says we can bed there for the night.
Geology. to form a compact layer or stratum.
(of a metal structural part) to lie flat or close against another part.
Archaic. to go to bed.
bed down,
to make a bed for (a person, animal, etc.).
to retire to bed: They put out the fire and decided to bed down for the night.
Idioms about bed
get up on the wrong side of the bed, to be irritable or bad-tempered from the start of a day: Never try to reason with him when he's gotten up on the wrong side of the bed.
go to bed,
to retire, especially for the night.
to engage in sexual relations.
go to bed with, to have sexual intercourse with.
in bed,
beneath the covers of a bed.
engaged in sexual intercourse.
jump / get into bed with, to form a close, often temporary, alliance, usually with an unlikely ally: Industry was charged with jumping into bed with labor on the issue.
make a bed, to fit a bed with sheets and blankets.
make one's bed, to be responsible for one's own actions and their results: You've made your bed—now lie in it.
put to bed,
to help (a child, invalid, etc.) go to bed.
Printing. to lock up (forms) in a press in preparation for printing.
to work on the preparation of (an edition of a newspaper, periodical, etc.) up to the time of going to press.
Origin of bed
1Other words for bed
Other words from bed
- bedless, adjective
- bedlike, adjective
- in·ter·bed, adjective
Words Nearby bed
Other definitions for B.Ed. (2 of 2)
Bachelor of Education.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use bed in a sentence
At night it flips over to reveal a true foam-mattress backside and create a 42-by-72-inch bed.
Can’t Afford a Sprinter? Get a Tiny Van Instead. | Emily Pennington | September 16, 2020 | Outside OnlineSo sign up for a community garden space, turn over a backyard bed, or mount some planting boxes on your windows and get going.
A 15-Week Exercise Plan for Kids and Families | Krista Langlois | September 12, 2020 | Outside OnlineAt his bed and breakfast in southern Sweden, Carlsson used to rotate porridge duties with two friends, and guests always complimented their meals on days when he cooked.
A wall separated the office space from his bed around the corner.
The Woman Propositioned by Alaska’s Former Lieutenant Governor Tells Her Story for the First Time | by Kyle Hopkins and Michelle Theriault Boots, Anchorage Daily News | September 10, 2020 | ProPublicaFor a-la-carte under bed storage, or bags that can move between beds, closets, and beyond, Dokehom has you covered.
My doctor insisted that once I filed this piece I lie down on my bed and not get out.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003 | Vicky Ward | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTI fall back into a dream and then suddenly there is a tapping on the window just above my bed.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile | Robert Ward | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTThe distinction between over-policing and non-responsiveness was alive and well in bed-Stuy.
At Woodhull Hospital, the bed-Stuy ambulance crew kept doing all they could as they wheeled Ramos into the emergency room.
'Please Don't Die!': The Frantic Battle to Save Murdered Cops | Michael Daly | December 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhile violent offenses are dramatically down in bed Stuy, pockets of violence persist here.
She sat straight up in bed, and jerked her hands to her head, and screamed long and terribly.
The Homesteader | Oscar MicheauxThe embankment or road-bed was commenced by gigantic piling, and is very broad and substantial.
Glances at Europe | Horace GreeleyGaze not upon another man's wife, and be not inquisitive after his handmaid, and approach not her bed.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousA little boy had been quarrelling with his sister named Muriel just before going to bed.
Children's Ways | James SullyShe folded them tightly in a handkerchief, and thrust the parcel as far as her arm could reach between the mattress and the bed.
Checkmate | Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
British Dictionary definitions for bed (1 of 2)
/ (bɛd) /
a piece of furniture on which to sleep
the mattress and bedclothes on such a piece of furniture: an unmade bed
sleep or rest: time for bed
any place in which a person or animal sleeps or rests
med a unit of potential occupancy in a hospital or residential institution
informal a place for sexual intercourse
informal sexual intercourse
a plot of ground in which plants are grown, esp when considered together with the plants in it: a flower bed
the bottom of a river, lake, or sea
a part of this used for cultivation of a plant or animal: oyster beds
a layer of crushed rock, gravel, etc, used as a foundation for a road, railway, etc
a layer of mortar in a masonry wall
the underside of a brick, tile, slate, etc, when in position: Compare back 1 (def. 12)
any underlying structure or part
a layer of rock, esp sedimentary rock
the flat part of a letterpress printing press onto or against which the type forme is placed
a layer of solid particles of an absorbent, catalyst, or reagent through which a fluid is passed during the course of a chemical reaction or other process
a machine base on which a moving part carrying a tool or workpiece slides: lathe bed
a bed of roses a situation of comfort or ease
to be brought to bed archaic to give birth (to)
bed of nails
a situation or position of extreme difficulty
a bed studded with nails on which a fakir lies
get out of bed on the wrong side informal to be ill-tempered from the start of the day
go to bed
(often foll by with) to have sexual intercourse (with)
journalism printing (of a newspaper, magazine, etc) to go to press; start printing
in bed with informal cooperating closely with (another person, organization, government, etc.) esp covertly
put to bed
journalism to finalize work on (a newspaper, magazine, etc) so that it is ready to go to press
printing to lock up the type forme of (a publication) in the press before printing
take to one's bed to remain in bed, esp because of illness
(usually foll by down) to go to or put into a place to sleep or rest
(tr) to have sexual intercourse with
(tr) to place, fix, or sink firmly into position; embed
geology to form or be arranged in a distinct layer; stratify
(tr often foll by out) to plant in a bed of soil
Origin of bed
1- See also bed in
British Dictionary definitions for BEd (2 of 2)
Bachelor of Education
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
Scientific definitions for bed
[ bĕd ]
A layer of sediments or rock, such as coal, that extends under a large area and has a distinct set of characteristics that distinguish it from other layers below and above it.
The bottom of a body of water, such as a lake, stream, or ocean.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with bed
In addition to the idioms beginning with bed
- bed and board
- bed and breakfast
- bed of roses
also see:
- early to bed
- get up on the wrong side of bed
- go to bed with
- make one's bed and lie in it
- make the bed
- put to bed
- should have stood in bed
- strange bedfellows
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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