bedtime

American  

[bed-tahym] / ˈbɛdˌtaɪm /

noun

• bedtimes
  plural

1. the time at which a person usually goes to bed.

   It's past my bedtime.

2. the time at which a person goes to bed on a particular night.

   I have to get up early tomorrow so bedtime tonight will be 9 o'clock.

---

bedtime British  

/ ˈbɛdˌtaɪm /

noun

1. 1. the time when one usually goes to bed

   2. ( as modifier )

      a bedtime story

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bedtimes
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of bedtime

Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; see origin at bed, time

---

Explanation

Bedtime is the time of the evening or night when you go to sleep. If you want a good excuse to leave a boring party, you can look at your watch and say, "Wow! It's way past my bedtime!" The time you generally go to bed is your bedtime, although you may not have a regular bedtime, just turning in whenever you feel sleepy. Most young children have a set bedtime, which is basically the hour their parents have decided they should go to sleep. If they're lucky, they'll get a bedtime story before the lights are turned off. Bedtime dates from the 13th century, from the Old English bedd and tima, "limited space of time."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bedtime bedtimes

I use the Amazon Echo Show device daily, sometimes to play music, but mostly to set timers and turn off all the lights before bedtime.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

Avoiding smartphone use before bedtime may also help protect sleep, while regular physical activity and better posture could reduce some of the physical strain associated with prolonged use.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026

The natural hormone melatonin rises before bedtime, making us feel sleepy.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

No legislature debated whether two hours was the correct limit or midnight the correct bedtime.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

I was astonished that even at that late hour, way past my usual bedtime, there were streetcars and pedestrians everywhere.

From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson

Before the NFL’s first-ever regular season game in Australia, the San Francisco 49ers rigorously studied something they don’t usually worry about: bedtimes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

"Visit the school, walk or drive past it, bring bedtimes back a bit earlier so it's not just a big start in the first week," he says.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

Meanwhile, New York's Mayor Zohran Mamdani has signed a tongue-in-cheek executive order "temporarily repealing bedtimes" to encourage children to watch the late-night games.

From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026

Because their bedtimes remained largely unchanged, the later wake up time translated directly into more sleep.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 11, 2026

Did things like bedtimes and hot baths and setting the table for supper still exist somewhere?

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---