noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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."
Vocabulary lists containing bedtime
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:
They don’t fall in and out of love, pick up groceries on the way home, read bedtime stories to their children or separate their recyclables.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Both of our husbands traveled for work a lot, so Scott and I spent hours together, especially before bedtime and during the “witching hour” with our little ones.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
"The children constantly ask for their father and struggle to comprehend why he isn't home for bedtime or take them out as he used to. He was a very loving, involved father."
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
In hot weather, better sleep starts long before bedtime.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
On this last evening, I dressed myself out in my new clothes for their delight, and sat in my splendour until bedtime.
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
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
Christmas disrupts normal routines, but San stresses that keeping anchor points like wake-ups, mealtimes and bedtimes the same helps children feel grounded.
From BBC ● Dec. 16, 2025
Today, I still purchase physical comics to support my local comic shop, but I read most issues digitally, with my babies cradled close after bedtimes.
From Salon ● Nov. 28, 2024
The study involved 90 adults who were randomly assigned to late bedtimes, early bedtimes or to sleep normally across a single workweek and were monitored by actigraphy.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 4, 2024
“You’re going to be in Lykes with me. Our cottage has later bedtimes and more privileges.”
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
