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.

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bedfellow British  

/ ˈbɛdˌfɛləʊ /

noun

1. a person with whom one shares a bed

2. a temporary ally or associate

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Etymology

Origin of bedfellow

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

Example Sentences

Mr. Pai must be smiling at his new progressive bedfellows after they vilified him back then.

From The Wall Street Journal

If politics makes strange bedfellows, war sometimes makes strange career paths.

From The Wall Street Journal

In an internal email from July 2024, university officials said "attempting to retain the business in China and publication of the research are now untenable bedfellows".

From BBC

The strange political bedfellows created by efforts to save spotted owls in the Pacific Northwest just got even stranger.

From Los Angeles Times

To avoid this outcome, Bolsonaro forged alliances with an array of legislative parties and strange bedfellows.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• caller
• client
• companion
• customer
• inmate
• patron
• recipient
• tenant
• vacationer
• visitor