duvet
Americannoun
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duvets
plural
noun
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another name for continental quilt
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Also called: duvet jacket. a down-filled jacket used esp by mountaineers
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of duvet
First recorded in 1750–60; from French: “down” (plumage), Middle French, alteration of dumet, derivative of Old French dum, dun, ultimately from Old Norse dūnn; cognate with Dutch dons, German Daune, Swedish dun; see down 2
Explanation
A duvet is a thick, warm blanket filled with down or feathers. Having a duvet on your bed keeps you warm at night. Usually, a duvet consists of a puffy quilt — also called a "comforter" — inside a specially fitted cover. If you use a duvet and cover, you don't need a top sheet or a bedspread. Duvet is originally a French word, and it's retained its silent t in English, being pronounced "doo-vay." Originally the French word was dumay, a diminutive of dum, or "down."
Vocabulary lists containing duvet
A Monster Calls
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Far from the Tree
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Between Shades of Gray
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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:
Local media at the time reported that a livestream on 18 August showed the man lying lifeless on a mattress covered with a duvet.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
In this case, I can’t see how ironing out a few wrinkles and covering a rumpled duvet with a digital bedspread materially misrepresents your home.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 3, 2026
Perhaps that’s somewhat different from covering a duvet with a bedspread — although, in fairness, that doesn’t exist either.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 3, 2026
She was bundled in a witchy outfit resembling a duvet cover.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2025
I lie down on the bed and crawl under the duvet.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
Avoid heavy bedding, thick duvets and tight synthetic fabrics that trap heat and moisture.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
Ms Lee praised the "amazing" Blackpool community for making donations of everything "from toys to beds and duvets".
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2024
Kantar also highlighted the stocking-up of candles and duvets as people prepare for possible winter blackouts.
From Reuters ● Oct. 17, 2022
Dirty sleeping bags and duvets show three sleeping spots on top of sheets of Styrofoam for insulation from the damp bare earth floor.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 17, 2022
I wonder if Stephen ever figured out what futons and duvets were.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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.
