air mattress

American  

noun

1. a mattress, usually of plastic or rubber, that can be inflated for use, as in camping, and deflated for storage.

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Etymology

Origin of air mattress

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

To celebrate, an investor replaced his air mattress with a real bed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 12, 2025

The fire department's use of the air mattress is also being investigated.

From BBC • Aug. 22, 2024

Drivers who install the sleeping kit are able to make both front and back seats lay completely flat, then watch as a double-size air mattress unfolds and is automatically inflated.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 18, 2024

Original transcript: “I got up from the air mattress and pressed my face against the glass of the bedroom window expecting to see eyes staring back at me but instead only finding darkness.”

From New York Times • May 1, 2023

Chantal’s clock says it’s three thirty in the morning, and Bad Leg’s voice eases through the locked windows and thick curtains to hover above my air mattress.

From "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi