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pillowcase

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

noun

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

pillowcase British  
/ ˈpɪləʊˌslɪp, 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

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.

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

Especially with the infamous zebra print pillowcase dress and other looks where you seem to tear things up and put different pieces together.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 3, 2025

Ms Newton-Smith will also say that profits "aren’t just extra money for companies to stuff in a pillowcase, but the key to investment".

From BBC • Nov. 25, 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

I think about the two postcards stashed inside my pillowcase.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

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.