mattress

noun mat·tress \ ˈma-trəs \

|Updated on: 30 Jul 2018

Definition of mattress

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 : an inflatable airtight sack for use as a mattress

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

See mattress defined for English-language learners

See mattress defined for kids

Recent Examples of mattress from the Web

The mattress was covered with blood and body fluids.

— carol marbin miller, miamiherald, "A painful reunion at school of horror," 11 July 2018
But these days, all the best mattresses come from boutique companies like Casper.

— samantha gordon, USA TODAY, "Here are the 5 best deals on Amazon right now," 27 June 2018
But those regulatory machinations did not dominate headlines like the sordid stories about Pruitt recruiting government workers to help him buy moisturizer from Ritz-Carltons or a mattress from Trump’s Washington hotel did.

— dino grandoni, Washington Post, "The Energy 202: With Scott Pruitt gone, green groups now turn the spotlight on Ryan Zinke," 9 July 2018
The zero-gravity seats are made from a mattress designed through research by aero-medical sciences and sleep psychology.

— taylor mead, House Beautiful, "This Private Airline Is Offering Incredible First Class Tickets You Can Actually Afford," 9 July 2018
In addition to concerns about the people traversing the alleys, individuals would dump everything from syringes to bulk trash like mattresses.

— megan janetsky, azcentral, "'Highway for bad things': Phoenix tries closing alleys after neighbors complain of crime," 6 July 2018
After the show, the atmosphere was transformed into an actual rave: Guests went outside and sat on Casper mattresses to wait for the night’s surprise performer, Wiz Khalifa.

— emily farra, Vogue, "Hugo, the Streetwise “Little Brother” Label to Hugo Boss, Just Showed a Berlin-Inspired Collection in the German Capital," 6 July 2018
Federal ethics standards bar subordinates from performing tasks of personal assistance; neither they nor perhaps any other standards can explain why a man so fond of first-class travel could not spring for a new mattress.

— The Economist, "The list of charges against Scott Pruitt keeps growing," 5 July 2018
Used cribs and crib mattresses can also pose safety concerns and could have been recalled.

— melissa reinert, Cincinnati.com, "Yard sale shopper: Prepare and beware," 5 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mattress.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.