bed
noun · verb
Simple meaning
One's place of sleep or rest.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
behdIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈbɛd
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
uncountableusually after a preposition
Sleep; rest; getting to sleep.
usually after a preposition
One's place of sleep or rest.
uncountableusually after a preposition
The time for going to sleep or resting in bed; bedtime.
countable
A piece of furniture, usually flat and soft, on which to rest or sleep.
A piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
“He sat on the edge of the bed.”
A prepared spot in which to spend the night.
verb
intransitive
To go to bed; to put oneself to sleep.
“The children were bedded at ten o'clock.”
Place (plants) in a prepared bed of soil
transitive
To furnish with a bed or bedding.
transitive
To set out (plants) in a garden bed.
transitive
To dress or prepare the surface of (stone) so it can serve as a bed.
transitive
To lay or put in any hollow place, or place of rest and security, surrounded or enclosed; to embed.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- General English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Sleep; rest; getting to sleep.
Used this way, bed is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Sleep / placenoun
“He sat on the edge of the bed.”
Bedverb
“The children were bedded at ten o'clock.”
More ways to use bed
- “He sat on the edge of the bed.”noun
- “The track bed had washed away.”noun
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: to go to bed
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Keep learning “bed” by choosing the kind of practice you need next.
- Practice sentence writingWrite sentences with vocabulary and get instant feedback.
- Practice in contextAnswer short vocabulary questions drawn from real situations.
- Review vocabularyTest your recall and strengthen words over time.
- Practice typingType vocabulary in short rounds that draw from words you've learned and saved.
Want to type words like this one without looking at the keyboard? Each typing round draws from words you've learned, saved or need to review. Follow the free Learn to Type lessons and type your own vocabulary with confidence.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.