mattress
Americannoun
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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
Etymology
Origin of mattress
1250–1300; Middle English materas < Old French < Italian materasso < Arabic maṭraḥ mat, cushion
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.
And I figured I could tuck a mattress and pretty iron bed frame right next to the tall wardrobe.
From Literature
On graduation day from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in San Francisco, she and her parents drove down to Koreatown, Hampton’s first neighborhood in L.A., with a mattress strapped to the car.
From Los Angeles Times
A man who was attempting to reach an island off the coast of Edinburgh using an inflatable mattress has been rescued after falling into the sea.
From BBC
The government estimates Argentines are sitting on some $251 billion in what are commonly called "mattress dollars" -- six times the Central Bank's reserves which stood at $41 billion on December 30.
From Barron's
He said dumping on the site had continued ever since, with mattresses, gas bottles and a caravan left on the land.
From BBC
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.
