air mattress

noun

plural air mattresses

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

And take it from my early 1960s-model spine, a modern air mattress—cheap, simple to inflate and reliable—is something that many parents will find essential when sleeping in a tent.

—Steve Stephens

called also air bed

Examples of air mattress in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Tuesday nights at the facility became a ritual for them, the three-time Super Bowl champion sharing war stories with student coaches and sleeping on an air mattress not all that far from Stretch’s closet; precisely when and where Stretch began cultivating and collecting stories all his own. —Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 7 Aug. 2025

Soon after, Henry was sleeping on an air mattress with a slow leak in the furthest reaches of Brooklyn, stealing cable from neighbors, eating bologna sandwiches and collecting bus transfers to help with his commute to Manhattan’s theaters. —Stuart Miller, Variety, 7 Aug. 2025

Gabbard turned the chorus dressing rooms underneath Belk Theater into a type of makeshift motel, complete with lamps and air mattresses. —Adam Bell, Charlotte Observer, 23 July 2025

Chesky is no stranger to nimble teams, famously transforming a tiny San Francisco apartment and three inflatable air mattresses with his fellow cofounders into a Fortune 500 giant with an $84 billion market cap. —Meredith Ho, Fortune, 18 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined above