mattress

noun

mat·​tress ˈma-trəs 

plural mattresses

1

a

: a fabric case filled with resilient material (such as cotton, hair, feathers, foam rubber, or an arrangement of coiled springs) used either alone as a bed or on a bedstead

b

: a soft, airtight case that is designed to be inflated and used as a bed : air mattress

2

: a device (as of interwoven brush and poles) used to protect a shoreline, bank, or streambed from erosion

Examples of mattress in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Additionally, select mattresses qualify for a free adjustable base. —Christopher Murray May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2025

Dior’s wellness offering — which also boasts infrared and re-energizing mattresses, weighted blankets and cryo-sleep masks, as well as a custom fragrance developed by renowned French perfumer Francis Kurkdjian — is a first in luxury where few other competitors operate their own spa. —Kati Chitrakorn, CNN Money, 5 Aug. 2025

These purchases included bullion, gold and silver, clothing and accessories, medical, crushed stone, cycle-vehicle, food and beverage, health and beauty, jewelry, mattress, pet, travel and vision. —Katie Nixon, The Tennessean, 5 Aug. 2025

There were actual makeshift dressers and apartments and mattresses and couches and TVs and all that fun stuff. —Jc Reindl, Freep.com, 2 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English materas, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin materacium, from Arabic maṭraḥ place where something is thrown

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing mattress

• air mattress
• mattress pad

Kids Definition

mattress

noun

mat·​tress ˈma-trəs 

1

: a fabric case filled with springy material used as a bed or on a bedstead

2

: a sack that can be filled with air or water and used as a mattress