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Synonyms

pillowcase

American  
[pil-oh-kays] / ˈpɪl oʊˌkeɪs /

noun

  • pillowcases
    plural
  1. a removable sacklike covering, usually of cotton, drawn over a pillow.


pillowcase British  
/ ˈpɪləʊˌkeɪs /

noun

  1. a removable washable cover of cotton, linen, nylon, etc, for a pillow

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of pillowcase

First recorded in 1715–25; pillow + case 1


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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:

The kids are “going to have a pillowcase full of candy anyhow.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025

Under the cover of darkness, an underling used satellite imagery to pick his way through vineyards near the prison before tossing a pillowcase over the walls.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2025

Clean Our Patch Community Interest Company said volunteers found the items hidden in a pillowcase in a carrier bag near the former railway depot at Laira in Plymouth on Wednesday.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2024

The haul at one pond on a recent day was enough to fill four sacks, each roughly the size of a large pillowcase.

From New York Times ● Mar. 15, 2024

Abby’s dark hair rested on the white pillowcase.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

By late 2022, more than 100 people were living there in wall-to-wall tents alongside seven-figure bungalows, a shop selling $180 linen pillowcases and the Gold’s Gym that Arnold Schwarzenegger made famous.

From New York Times ● Mar. 25, 2024

Now, if you took home economics in school, you might just think of baking brownies and sewing pillowcases.

From Scientific American ● Oct. 26, 2023

The retired NHS consultant gynaecologist is now using pillowcases to put pressure on his wounds, and leftover antibiotics found in the house.

From BBC ● Apr. 26, 2023

Newcomers were told to bring pillowcases and a shoelace.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2022

She don’t tell me to iron her pillowcases.

From "Girls Like Us" by Gail Giles

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