bedpan

American  

[bed-pan] / ˈbɛdˌpæn /

noun

• bedpans
  plural

1. a shallow toilet pan for use by persons confined to bed.

2. bedwarmer.

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bedpan British  

/ ˈbɛdˌpæn /

noun

1. a shallow vessel placed under a bedridden patient to collect faeces and urine

2. another name for warming pan

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bedpans
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of bedpan

First recorded in 1575–85; bed + pan ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bedpan bedpans

She reserved her deepest attention for the orderlies who came in to change her bedpan and her sheets.

From Slate ● Jun. 4, 2023

“Susan wanted to crawl under the nearest bedpan and hide,” he wrote.

From New York Times ● Apr. 18, 2023

Nursing notes show that Burrell was placed on a bedpan.

From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2022

But after one of my colleagues said it looked like a bedpan, I just couldn’t unsee the resemblance.

From The Verge ● May 28, 2022

“Let me bring her the bedpan first. Then you can meet her,” Mami says.

From "Lucky Broken Girl" by Ruth Behar

Even as the labor market has softened, healthcare jobs have stayed plentiful: People spend on healthcare in good times and bad, and thus far, the ability to change bedpans and insert IVs hasn’t been automated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2025

If we don’t have enough citizens interested in taking care of our elderly, immigrants who step up shouldn’t have to fear deportation while they’re changing bedpans and taking clients to medical appointments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2023

She was a nurse’s aide, changing bedpans and rolling patients.

From Washington Post ● May 17, 2022

Today, she cannot do anything for herself, relies on bedpans and is unable to bathe, shower or dress herself.

From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2022

She had to be his nurse, washing him with a sponge, changing his bandages, removing his bedpans.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

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