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Synonyms

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.

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

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

Say if you hunt for Christmas presents in mid-December, find what you’re hoping to get, but then on Christmas Day there’s no sign of it in your pillowcase.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

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.