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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

Compare meaning

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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.

I put on my coat and hat and stood at the iron door clutching the pillowcase in both hands.

From Literature

The pillowcase had pulled free of the wooden pieces on one side.

From Literature

“I could not understand how anyone would pass up on pillowcases full of candy for a party where she thought she might see a boy she already saw every day at school,” Avery says.

From Literature

Tess held up a lumpy pillowcase, and I felt myself relax the tiniest fraction of an inch.

From Literature

I think about the two postcards stashed inside my pillowcase.

From Literature

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.