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 bed frame

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

For a true picture of the Outer Banks before electricity and running water, Anderson-Silver nods to My Daily Bounded Realm by Robin Daniels Holt, which takes readers back to a time when locals on Hatteras Island made a living through selling seaweed for mattress stuffing and ate molecrab stew. —Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Apr. 2026

Best mattress deals happening NOW Want more mattress deals? —Alora Bopray, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026

Generally, mattresses should be replaced about every seven to eight years, certainly every 10, and sooner if your mattress has suffered a major accident of some sort. —Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 11 Apr. 2026

Many styles have soles that feel like walking on memory foam mattresses. —Jamie Davis Smith, Travel + Leisure, 4 Apr. 2026

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