1
a
: a piece of furniture on or in which to lie and sleep
b(1)
: a place of sex relations
(2)
: marital relationship
(3)
: close association : cahoots
a legislator in bed with lobbyists
c
: a place for sleeping
d
: sleep
also
: a time for sleeping
took a walk before bed
e(1)
: a mattress filled with soft material
(2)
: bedstead
f
: the equipment and services needed to care for one hospitalized patient or hotel guest
2
: a flat or level surface: such as
a
: a plot of ground prepared for plants
also
: the plants grown in such a plot
b
: the bottom of a body of water
especially
: an area of sea bottom supporting a heavy growth of a particular organism
an oyster bed
3
: a supporting surface or structure : foundation
5
a
: the place or material in which a block or brick is laid
b
: the lower surface of a brick, slate, or tile
6
: a mass or heap resembling a bed
a bed of ashes
served on a bed of lettuce
7
: an open, usually rectangular cargo area or platform at the rear of truck
a pickup truck with a short bed
We loaded the equipment and put a cover over the truck bed.
8
music
a
: an instrumental or vocal track that is combined with other tracks to produce a musical composition
Turner gives the track an air of familiarity with his lead vocal, which sits atop an instrumental bed dominated by an infectious, sweeping string section.—
Music Week
Music Week
b
: a musical soundtrack (as to a movie or television show)
As a video tribute … played on a projector screen, with a music bed complementing a montage of pictures from different stages of the players' lives, a mom admitted to having tears in her eyes.—Joe Aguilar
Joe Aguilar
bedded; bedding
1
a
: to find or make sleeping accommodations
—usually used with down
a place to bed down
b
: to go to bed
—usually used with down
bed down at midnight
2
: to form a layer
3
: to lie flat or flush
1
a
: to furnish with a bed or bedding : settle in sleeping quarters
—often used with down
b
: to put, take, or send to bed
3
a
: to lay flat or in a layer
b
: to make a bed in or of
4
: to have sexual intercourse with
bachelor of education
binge eating disorder
More than seven million Americans struggle with binge eating disorder (BED), according to a recent Harvard-based study …—Naomi Barr
Naomi BarrBED is characterized by eating alone, more rapidly than normal, continuing to eat even though you're full and eating when you're not really hungry.—New Hampshire Sunday News
New Hampshire Sunday News
Phrases
go to bed with
: to have sexual intercourse with (someone)
She had gone to bed with a man she loved and had suffered the ultimate humiliation—rejection …—Evelyn Anthony
Evelyn Anthony
: in the act of sexual intercourse
caught her husband and another woman in bed together
informal
: in/into an improperly close relationship with
… he found himself in bed with those he used to see as the wrong kind of people …—Ronald Radosh
Ronald RadoshThe administration had gotten into bed with an obscure guerrilla army with which it had, in truth, few sympathies.—Mark Dennis et al.
Mark Dennis et al.
—used to say that one is responsible for dealing with the problems that result from one's own bad decisions
Why should taxpayers have to cover for the foolish investments and risky deals financial fat cats made? Wall Street made its bed, the thinking goes, and now those executives should lie in it.—The Dallas Morning Star
The Dallas Morning StarSynonyms
Examples of bed in a Sentence
Noun
The room contains only a bed and a dresser.
There are two beds in the hotel room.
He lay in bed all morning.
The blanket by the fireplace is the dog's bed.
Her bed was a mound of soft pine needles.
I'm planning on putting a bed of perennials in that corner of the yard.
Verb
He has fantasies about bedding a fashion model.
the campers all bedded down for the night around 9:00 p.m.
Recent Examples on the Web
Caleb Harris, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
Dogs might also want to create a shallow bed in the earth for a cool spot to rest during a hot day.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024
Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 21 Nov. 2024
Those include: Getting in tighter to bedding areas.
—Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 7 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bed 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
The 12-year-old started poking fun at his little brother for being so excited about his new bed.
—Caleb Harris, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
Dogs might also want to create a shallow bed in the earth for a cool spot to rest during a hot day.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024
Verb
The bedding set is available in queen size for $85.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 21 Nov. 2024
Those include: Getting in tighter to bedding areas.
—Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 7 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bed
Dictionary Entries Near bed
Cite this Entry
“Bed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bed. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bed
1 of 2 noun1
a
: a piece of furniture on which to lie or sleep
b
: sleep entry 1 sense 1
also
: a time for sleeping
watched TV before bed
2
a
: a plot of ground prepared for plants
b
: the bottom of a body of water
the bed of a river
3
: a supporting surface or structure : foundation
4
: layer entry 1 sense 2
a bed of sandstone
bed
2 of 2 verb
bedded; bedding
1
: to put or go to bed
bed down for the night
2
: to fix in or on a foundation
an argument bedded on good sense
3
: to plant or arrange in beds
Medical Definition
bed
1 of 2 noun1
a
: a piece of furniture on or in which one may lie and sleep see hospital bed
b
: the equipment and services needed to care for one hospitalized patient
2
: a layer of specialized or altered tissue especially when separating dissimilar structures see nail bed, vascular bed
BED
2 of 2 abbreviation
binge eating disorder
One of these patterns is called binge eating disorder (BED), in which, at least twice a week, people uncontrollably eat large quantities of food in a short time span but do not purge.—Carole Sugarman, The Washington Post
Carole Sugarman, The Washington PostLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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