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:
The 22:00 bedtime is only a suggestion, he adds.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
They were so hungry at bedtime that they would cry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Once a week after her parental leave, she lugged the hulking computer to the office and downloaded the latest version of the film so she could keep working after bedtime.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
A cool bath before bedtime might bring their temperature down, and help yours too.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 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
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
Participants reported their typical bedtimes and wake-up times on weekdays and weekends.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 7, 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
Reestablishing routines like bedtimes and family meals is also key for older children to help create a sense of predictability and security.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2025
Their meals and bedtimes were supervised as if they were new girls at Roedean.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
