: a shallow vessel used by a bedridden person for urination or defecation
Examples of bedpan in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The affordable, latex-free bedpan is also durable, while being comfortable for the user with rounded edges.
—
Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 28 Jan. 2026
Bariatric bedpans, meanwhile, can support around 1,200 pounds.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026
As the population ages, mass quantities of skills will indeed be needed—most of all by people getting paid below minimum wage to empty bedpans, make small talk with the ailing, and manage their pain.
—Lily Scherlis, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
Older women with boyfriends, yes; older women with bedpans, no.
—Daniel Immerwahr, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for bedpan
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 28 Jan. 2026
Bariatric bedpans, meanwhile, can support around 1,200 pounds.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026
As the population ages, mass quantities of skills will indeed be needed—most of all by people getting paid below minimum wage to empty bedpans, make small talk with the ailing, and manage their pain.
—Lily Scherlis, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
Older women with boyfriends, yes; older women with bedpans, no.
—Daniel Immerwahr, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for bedpan
Cite this Entry
“Bedpan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bedpan. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bedpan
noun
bed·pan
ˈbed-ˌpan 
: a shallow pan for use as a toilet by a person forced to stay in bed
Medical Definition
bedpan
noun
bed·pan
ˈbed-ˌpan
: a shallow vessel used by a bedridden person for urination or defecation
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
