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

Luckily, this microfiber sheet set solves that problem thanks to deep pockets that fit mattresses up to 16 inches high. —Melody Kazel, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025

Two young men are brought into the room and placed on the mattress across from us. —Eli Sharabi, Time, 1 Oct. 2025

Later, in the scene in which Winnifred is kept awake by a single pea, Burnett performed a prolonged pantomime of violent physical discomfort, thrashing and dangling like a fish on a line atop a towering stack of mattresses. —Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025

Consider a bed with a hydraulic lift mechanism that lifts the entire platform (and mattress) for secret bedroom storage. —Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 29 Sep. 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