bedfellow

[ bed-fel-oh ]

/ ˈbɛdˌfɛl oʊ /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for bedfellow on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

an associate or collaborator, especially one who forms a temporary alliance for reasons of expediency: Politics makes strange bedfellows.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of bedfellow

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

Words nearby bedfellow

bedel, bedesman, bedevil, bedew, bedfast, bedfellow, Bedford, Bedford cord, Bedford Heights, Bedfordshire, bedframe

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use bedfellow in a sentence

Monopolistic power is a worry that sometimes makes strange bedfellows, especially in Congress.
Momentum Is Building for Antitrust Reform. Here's What That Means for Big Tech|Martha C. White|November 12, 2021|Time
An odd group of congressional bedfellows will introduce a bill Thursday to fully standardize and digitize the process of registering foreign agents — making it far easier for the public to search and enforce the federal database.
New bill targeting foreign agents gets bipartisan support|Lachlan Markay|November 4, 2021|Axios
In doing so, it has found itself partnered with some unlikely bedfellows, profoundly undermining both Ennahda’s credibility and that of its political partners.
Tunisia's President Staged What Looks Like a Coup. But Democracy Isn't Dead There Yet|Simon Speakman Cordall / Tunis|July 30, 2021|Time
The $200 billion data broker industry is lucrative, and has many unlikely bedfellows.
Your iPhone’s Next Software Update Aims to Foil App Trackers and Digital Advertisers. Here’s How|Patrick Lucas Austin|April 13, 2021|Time

The tax measures are major wins for anti-smoking advocates after a string of defeats but, in an example of how politics makes strange bedfellows, Colorado’s tax might not have been possible without Altria’s help.
Big Tobacco stands down as Colorado and Oregon hike cigarette taxes|Lydia Belanger|January 9, 2021|Fortune
Wallace crept into bed beside his communicative bedfellow in silence.
Wayside Courtships|Hamlin Garland
He first made an attempt on the apprentice, his bedfellow; but he struggled so far as to effect his escape, and hid himself.
The Chronicles of Crime or The New Newgate Calendar. v. 1/2|Camden Pelham
He implores mercy for his “desolate bedfellow,” for her children, and for his sons by his first wife.
John Knox and the Reformation|Andrew Lang
My bedfellow and I slept on an oilcloth, covered with an overcoat, and tied our four feet up together in a flannel shirt.
Under the Stars and Bars|Walter A. Clark
Why do they hardly feel that they have prayed if company, or a bedfellow, on a journey, keeps them from using oral prayer?
Bertha and Her Baptism|Nehemiah Adams

British Dictionary definitions for bedfellow

bedfellow

/ (ˈbɛdˌfɛləʊ) /

noun

a person with whom one shares a bed

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

bedfellow

Origin of bedfellow

Words nearby bedfellow

Words related to bedfellow

How to use bedfellow in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bedfellow