bed
BEHD
Bed (noun) means a piece of furniture for sleeping or resting on. Example: “The children jumped on the bed and laughed until their mum came upstairs.”
noun
1
A piece of furniture for sleeping or resting on.
"The children jumped on the bed and laughed until their mum came upstairs."
"I made the bed, tidied the room and opened the curtains."
"He collapsed onto the bed after the long flight."
2
A plot of ground prepared for growing plants.
"Grandad spends every weekend weeding the vegetable bed behind the shed."
"We dug a new bed beside the fence for the roses."
"She planted tulip bulbs along the flower bed."
3
The bottom of a body of water, such as a river or the sea.
"Smooth pebbles lay on the bed of the clear stream."
"The river bed was nearly dry after the long, hot summer."
"Divers explored an old shipwreck on the seabed."
verb
1
To place something in a supportive layer or setting; to embed.
"The mason bedded each brick firmly in mortar before checking that it was level."
"Before laying the turf, we bedded the pipes in fine gravel."
"The workers bedded the paving stones in a layer of sand."
How to use bed
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA place to sleep, a garden plot, or the floor of a river/sea — plus the verb meaning to set something firmly in place.
Common pairings
go to bed
flower bed
riverbed
bed down for the night
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Word forms
- Third person singular
- beds
- Past tense
- bedded
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The children jumped on the _____ and laughed until their mum came upstairs.
Etymology
From Old English bedd, "resting place, plot of ground," from an ancient Germanic root possibly connected to a much older word meaning "to dig" — which would also explain the "garden plot" sense.
Related words
Frequently asked questions
What does “bed” mean?
The word “bed” means a piece of furniture for sleeping or resting on. In plain terms, a place to sleep, a garden plot, or the floor of a river/sea — plus the verb meaning to set something firmly in place.
How do you pronounce “bed”?
“Bed” is pronounced BEHD (/ˈbɛd/ in IPA).
How do you use “bed” in a sentence?
Here is “bed” used in a sentence: “He collapsed onto the bed after the long flight.”
What part of speech is “bed”?
Depending on how it is used, “bed” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “bed” come from?
The word “bed” comes from Old English. From Old English bedd, "resting place, plot of ground," from an ancient Germanic root possibly connected to a much older word meaning "to dig" — which would also explain the "garden plot" sense.
Is “bed” a common word?
“Bed” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.
How many meanings does “bed” have?
“Bed” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a piece of furniture for sleeping or resting on.
What are the different types of beds?
Common types include single (or twin), double, queen and king beds, sized by width. Others are named by design: bunk beds stack two frames, sofa beds fold out from a couch, four-poster beds have corner posts, and daybeds double as seating. Cots and cribs are small beds for babies.
What is the difference between a bed and a mattress?
The bed is the whole piece of furniture, usually including a frame and a base or slats. The mattress is the thick, padded pad that sits on top and that you actually lie on. You sleep on the mattress, which the bed supports and holds off the floor.
What are the standard bed sizes?
From smallest to largest, the usual run is single (or twin), small double, double, queen, king and super king. Exact measurements vary between countries — UK and US sizes differ — but the order of names stays broadly the same, each step adding width and sometimes length.
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