mattress
Americannoun
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mattresses
plural
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a large pad for supporting the reclining body, used as or on a bed, consisting of a quilted or similarly fastened case, usually of heavy cloth, that contains hair, straw, cotton, foam rubber, etc., or a framework of metal springs.
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a mat woven of brush, poles, or similar material, used to prevent erosion of the surface of dikes, jetties, embankments, dams, etc.
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a layer of concrete placed on bare ground, as to provide a footing; mat.
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a layer of any material used to cushion, protect, reinforce, or the like.
noun
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a large flat pad with a strong cover, filled with straw, foam rubber, etc, and often incorporating coiled springs, used as a bed or as part of a bed
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Also called: Dutch mattress. a woven mat of brushwood, poles, etc, used to protect an embankment, dyke, etc, from scour
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Sometimes shortened to: mat. a concrete or steel raft or slab used as a foundation or footing
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a network of reinforcing rods or expanded metal sheeting, used in reinforced concrete
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civil engineering another name for blinding
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mattress
1250–1300; Middle English materas < Old French < Italian materasso < Arabic maṭraḥ mat, cushion
Explanation
Your mattress is the padded part of your bed that rests on top of the frame or box springs and is covered in a sheet. Some people prefer a soft, squishy mattress, while others like their mattresses firm. Some mattresses have a system of springs inside to provide just the right amount of firmness and bounce when you lie on them. Others are made of a dense kind of foam that supports a sleeper's body comfortably. The earliest mattresses were filled with straw or horse hair, and in many societies people don't sleep on mattresses at all, instead using mats or futons. The Arabic root of mattress is al-matrah, "thing thrown down."
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:
He does not have a mattress, but up here at least some air is moving.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Cooling mattress toppers and bedding that use water or phase change materials may also help.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
The mattress maker filed for bankruptcy last month, reaching a deal to be acquired by Sleep Country Canada for nearly $702 million, around $530 million of which is in cash.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
The safest place for a baby to sleep is on a firm, flat mattress on their back in a clear cot with no toys inside, according to the baby sleep safety charity the Lullaby Trust.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
I tossed and turned on the human-hair mattress of my matchbox.
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
One park in Pereira was transformed into a makeshift shelter with tents and mattresses.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
Several children sleep on mattresses along the sidewalk in front of the home.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Under the scorching heat on Tuesday morning, Torres del Limonar is a shattered mountain of rubble, with mattresses, furniture, and belongings peeking out from the concrete.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
Jurors were told that mattresses were put down at the base of the tower to try to protect him because he was in a "precarious position".
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
There were four deep mattresses, each piled with white blankets, laid on the floor along one side.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
