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Synonyms

bedpan

American  
[bed-pan] / ˈbɛdˌpæn /

noun

  • bedpans
    plural
  1. a shallow toilet pan for use by persons confined to bed.

  2. bedwarmer.


bedpan British  
/ ˈbɛdˌpæn /

noun

  1. a shallow vessel placed under a bedridden patient to collect faeces and urine

  2. another name for warming pan

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of bedpan

First recorded in 1575–85; bed + pan 1

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.

See Examples For:

Among the new finds are an anchor, glass bottles and a bedpan, according to a statement from the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History.

From BBC Aug. 9, 2024

She reserved her deepest attention for the orderlies who came in to change her bedpan and her sheets.

From Slate Jun. 4, 2023

But after one of my colleagues said it looked like a bedpan, I just couldn’t unsee the resemblance.

From The Verge May 28, 2022

The curriculum covers the practical aspects of working in a nursing home: bed-making, catheter care, using a bedpan and transferring residents from a wheelchair to a bed.

From Salon Jan. 2, 2022

The door is barely closed before I fling my laptop open, calling Stella on Skype as I lie upside down off my bed, pink bedpan in one hand for mucus disposal.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott

Even as the labor market has softened, healthcare jobs have stayed plentiful: People spend on healthcare in good times and bad, and thus far, the ability to change bedpans and insert IVs hasn’t been automated.

From The Wall Street Journal Oct. 12, 2025

Some describe the closeness they have with the people whose bedpans they change, whose medications they administer.

From New York Times Jun. 13, 2023

If we don’t have enough citizens interested in taking care of our elderly, immigrants who step up shouldn’t have to fear deportation while they’re changing bedpans and taking clients to medical appointments.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 8, 2023

Today, she cannot do anything for herself, relies on bedpans and is unable to bathe, shower or dress herself.

From BBC Mar. 18, 2022

She had to be his nurse, washing him with a sponge, changing his bandages, removing his bedpans.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

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