Definition of 'bed'

Word Frequency

bed

(bed )

Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present tense, plural beds , present participle bedding, past tense, past participle bedded

1. countable noun

A bed is a piece of furniture that you lie on when you sleep.

She went into her bedroom and lay down on the bed.

We finally went to bed at about 4am.

By the time we got back from dinner, Nona was already in bed.

When she had gone, Sam and Robina put the children to bed.

Synonyms: bedstead, couch, berth, cot More Synonyms of bed

2. countable noun

If a place such as a hospital or a hotel has a particular number of beds, it is able to hold that number of patients or guests.

3. countable noun [usually noun NOUN]

A bed in a garden or park is an area of ground that has been specially prepared so that plants can be grown in it.

The geraniums in the flower bed looked bedraggled from the heavy rain.

...beds of strawberries and rhubarb.

Synonyms: plot, area, row, strip More Synonyms of bed

4. countable noun

A bed of shellfish or plants is an area in the sea or in a lake where a particular type of shellfish or plant is found in large quantities.

Fishermen fear valuable oyster and mussel beds could be decimated.

The whole lake was rimmed with thick beds of reeds.

5. countable noun [usually singular]

The sea bed or a river bed is the ground at the bottom of the sea or of a river.

For three weeks a big operation went on to recover the wreckage from the sea bed.

...the bare bed of a dry stream.

Synonyms: bottom, ground, floor More Synonyms of bed

6. countable noun

A bed of rock is a layer of rock that is found within a larger area of rock.

Between the white limestone and the greyish pink limestone is a thin bed of clay.

...a sandstone bed.

Synonyms: base, footing, basis, bottom More Synonyms of bed

7. countable noun [usually singular]

If a recipe or a menu says that something is served on a bed of a food such as rice or vegetables, it means it is served on a layer of that food.

Heat the curry thoroughly and serve it on a bed of rice. [+ of]

Synonyms: layer, mass, pile, heap More Synonyms of bed

8. See also -bedded, bedding

10.

11.

12.

13.

made one's bed...lie in it

14.

make the bed/make sb's bed/make a bed

15.

got out of bed on the wrong side

16. bed of roses

Phrasal verbs:

bed down

More Synonyms of bed

Word Frequency

BEd

(biː ed )

Word forms: plural BEds regional note: in AM, use B.Ed.

countable noun

A BEd is a degree which usually takes four years to complete and which qualifies someone to teach in a school. BEd is an abbreviation for 'Bachelor of Education.' Compare PGCE.

Video: pronunciation of 'bed'

Word Frequency

bed in British

(bɛd )

noun

a piece of furniture on which to sleep

the mattress and bedclothes on such a piece of furniture

an unmade bed

sleep or rest

time for bed

any place in which a person or animal sleeps or rests

5. medicine

a unit of potential occupancy in a hospital or residential institution

6. informal

a place for sexual intercourse

7. informal

sexual intercourse

a plot of ground in which plants are grown, esp when considered together with the plants in it

a flower bed

the bottom of a river, lake, or sea

10.

a part of this used for cultivation of a plant or animal

oyster beds

11.

a layer of crushed rock, gravel, etc, used as a foundation for a road, railway, etc

12.

a layer of mortar in a masonry wall

13.

the underside of a brick, tile, slate, etc, when in position

Compare back (sense 12)

14.

any underlying structure or part

15.

a layer of rock, esp sedimentary rock

16.

the flat part of a letterpress printing press onto or against which the type forme is placed

17.

a layer of solid particles of an absorbent, catalyst, or reagent through which a fluid is passed during the course of a chemical reaction or other process

18.

a machine base on which a moving part carrying a tool or workpiece slides

lathe bed

19. a bed of roses

20. to be brought to bed

21. bed of nails

22. get out of bed on the wrong side

23. go to bed

24. in bed with

25. put to bed

26. take to one's bed

verbWord forms: beds, bedding or bedded

27. (usually foll by down)

to go to or put into a place to sleep or rest

28. (transitive) informal

to have sexual intercourse with

29. (transitive)

to place, fix, or sink firmly into position; embed

30. geology

to form or be arranged in a distinct layer; stratify

31. (transitive; often foll by out)

to plant in a bed of soil

Word origin of 'bed'

Old English bedd; related to Old Norse bethr, Old High German betti, Gothic badi

Word Frequency

BEd in British

abbreviation for

Bachelor of Education

Word Frequency

BEd in American

or B.Ed.

Bachelor of Education

Word Frequency

bed in American

(bɛd ; bed)

noun

a thing for sleeping or resting on; specif., a piece of furniture consisting usually of a bedstead, bedspring, mattress, and bedding

bedstead

bedtime

any place used for sleeping or reclining

such a place regarded as the scene of sexual intercourse or procreation

a plot of soil where plants are raised

the flowers or vegetables growing in this

the bottom of a river, lake, etc.

a place on the ocean floor where something grows in abundance

oyster bed

an enclosing substance, as rock in which shells, minerals, etc. are lodged

any flat surface used as a foundation or support, as the earth, gravel, etc. under the rails and ties of a railroad

10.

a layer of cement or mortar in which stone or brick is laid

the underside of a brick, slate, or tile

11.

a pile or heap resembling a bed, esp. in softness or shape

a bed of leaves

12.

a geologic layer; stratum

a bed of coal

13. US

the flat surface on which cargo is placed, as in a pickup or flatbed

verb transitiveWord forms: ˈbedded or ˈbedding

14.

to provide with a sleeping place

15.

to put to bed

16.

to have sexual intercourse with

17.

to fix or place firmly; embed

18.

to plant or arrange in a bed of earth

19.

to make (earth) into a bed for plants

20.

to lay out flat like a bed; arrange in layers

verb intransitive

21.

to go to bed; rest; sleep

22.

to form in layers; stratify

Idioms:

be brought to bed (of)

bed and board

bed down

get up on the wrong side of the bed

put to bed

take to one's bed

Word origin of 'bed'

ME & OE < IE base *bhedh-, to dig > Ger bett, L fossa, ditch, W bedd, Bret béz, a grave; orig. sense “a sleeping hollow in the ground”

Word Frequency

bed in Chemical Engineering

(bɛd)

Word forms: (regular plural) beds

noun

(Chemical Engineering: General)

A bed is a thick layer of particles in a vessel.

The flow rate must be rapid enough to agitate the bed of limestone particles.

Fluidization can be defined as the suspension and agitation of a bed of solid particles by a rising stream of gas.

A bed is a thick layer of particles in a vessel.

fluidized bed, moving bed reactor, spouted bed, trickle bed reactor

Word Frequency

bed in Mechanical Engineering

(bɛd)

Word forms: (regular plural) beds

noun

(Mechanical engineering: Manufacturing and assembly)

The bed of a machine is the base on which a moving part carrying a tool or workpiece rests.

First, lay the wood on the bed of the machine.

The lathe should be set up so the cutting tool feeds automatically along the bed of the lathe.

The bed of a machine is the base on which a moving part carrying a tool or workpiece rests.

Word Frequency

bed in Hospitality

(bɛd)

Word forms: (regular plural) beds

noun

(Hospitality (hotel): Hotel room, bedroom)

A bed is a piece of furniture that you lie on when you sleep.

The accommodation has up to 150 beds.

Most guests are ready to go to bed by 11 p.m.

The hotel room is simple, with only a bed, a bureau, and a shower.

bunk beds, double bed, make the bed, twin bed

Bed vocabularyThe following are terms for items relating to beds.beddingblanketcomforterduvetduvet coverfeather pillowmattresspillowpillowcasesheet

Example sentences containing 'bed'

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We used to be able to sleep in our beds because we had a very capable military. The Sun (2016)Something that needs to return to the sea bed. Times, Sunday Times (2016)We used to have five cases while the rest of the beds were empty on any given day. Times, Sunday Times (2016)And 44 per cent go to bed feeling guilty about what they have scoffed. The Sun (2016)Just don't offer to help when they come to make your hospital bed. The Sun (2016)Proposals to cut at least 1,800 beds and close about ten local hospitals have also been put forward. Times, Sunday Times (2016)I got a taste of that when he asked me not to help make his bed. Times, Sunday Times (2016)He grins and gestures towards a rough, stony track resembling a dry river bed, which loops past his house. Times, Sunday Times (2017)Fill the bed with soil or compost suitable for the plants you want to grow. The Sun (2014)There are new plants and beds ablaze with colour. The Sun (2013)Here a neat little bed was already prepared. Johanna Spyri Heidi (1881)None of us recalls sleeping in a double bed until we were cohabiting or married. Times, Sunday Times (2013)The birds come to feed on algae from the lake bed. The Sun (2009)You can also choose to rest in bed after a warm treatment. MacEoin, Beth Healthy By Nature (1994)Serve on a bed of rice with whole coriander leaves sprinkled on top. Times, Sunday Times (2010)He was to the furthest part of the bed. The Sun (2011)Her head was strapped into a mask that was clamped tightly in place on the bed. Times, Sunday Times (2007)These leave a long bed about eighteen feet wide on each side of the central pathway. Page, Russell The Education of a Gardener (1994)You will be kitted out with a wetsuit and breathing apparatus while taking a sea bed walk. The Sun (2016)She has only recently stopped sleeping in our bed at night. Times, Sunday Times (2007)She bought a new bed and new furniture and made it very cosy. The Sun (2010)She had ideas for new beds and new plant combinations. Eddison, Sydney A Patchwork Garden: Unexpected Pleasures from a Country Garden (1990)In reed beds beside the lakes another summer visitor has just arrived. Times, Sunday Times (2012)Then he rested on a bed overnight. Times, Sunday Times (2012)Serve on a bed of brown rice garnished with toasted almonds. Elliot, Rose Cooking with Beans and PulsesEight will also have to share double beds as part of the plan to make this series. The Sun (2010)So deal with perennial weeds before filling the bed with soil and deal with annuals as they grow. The Sun (2007)For two months church members fed people porridge and noodles twice a day and made up makeshift beds from the pews. Times, Sunday Times (2013)The host was already in bed. Times, Sunday Times (2006)Sometimes in a nightie, lying across a double bed. Times, Sunday Times (2011)When most people make their beds, they end up lying on them. Times, Sunday Times (2012)As these thoughts ran through her mind, her head grew hotter and her position in the bed more uncomfortable. Susan Coolidge What Katy Did (1872)