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hospital bed

American  

noun

hospital beds plural
  1. a bed having side rails that can be raised or lowered and a mattress base in three jointed sections so that the head, foot, or middle may be raised by a crank or motor, allowing a patient to lie in various positions, as a therapeutic aid or for comfort.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of hospital bed

First recorded in 1815–25

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.

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In a social-media post from his hospital bed, 59-year-old activist Sonam Wangchuk, who helped to garner support for the movement with a 26-day hunger strike, posted a picture of himself making a victory sign.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 25, 2026

He had spent two years in a standard hospital bed, provided by the NHS, which he described as "hideously uncomfortable" and like "torture".

From BBC Jun. 30, 2026

Standing beside her hospital bed, his mind drifts to Paris and to Penelope, the aspiring musician he married after falling hopelessly in love.

From Salon Jun. 30, 2026

Still in her hospital bed, connected to feeding tubes and life support, Hollie is the first patient to try out the new intensive care rooftop ward at King's College Hospital in south London.

From BBC May 29, 2026

Lying in that hospital bed I feel all of it: the terrible weight of sorrow, the crumbling of my dreams.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

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