plural beds
1
a
: a piece of furniture that people sleep on
The room contains only a bed and a dresser.
There are two beds in the hotel room.
a hospital bed
a single bed [=a bed for one person]
a double bed [=a bed for two people]
He lay on the bed [=on top of the sheets, blankets, and bedspread] for a long time.
Don't forget to make the bed. [=to neatly arrange the sheets, blankets, and bedspread on the bed so that the mattress is covered]
He became ill and took to his bed. [=he went to lie in bed for a long time]
She usually goes to bed [=lies down in her bed to sleep] around 11:00.
It's time to get out of bed. [=get up]
He lay/stayed in bed all morning.
The kids like to hear a story before bed. [=before they go to sleep]
Have you put the children to bed? [=have you prepared the children to go to sleep and put them in their beds?]
Come on, children. It's time for bed. [=bedtime, time to sleep]
b
: something that is used to sleep on
The blanket by the fireplace is the dog's bed.
Her bed was a mound of soft pine needles.
2
—used in phrases that describe having sexual relations
Note: Someone who is good in bed is a skillful lover. When two people are in bed, they are in the act of having sex. To go to bed with someone is to have sex with someone. To get someone into bed is to get someone to have sex with you. Phrases like these are also used figuratively.
3
: a small area of ground specially prepared for plants
I'm planning on putting a bed of perennials in that corner of the yard.
a bed of flowers
4
a
: a flat pile or layer of something
a bed of coals
b
: a flat pile or layer of food that is placed on a dish with other food on top of it
grilled fish served on a bed of greens
a bed of rice
5
a
: the ground that is at the bottom of a sea, lake, etc.
seaweed growing on the ocean bed [=floor]
b
: an area of shallow water where something grows
an oyster bed [=an area where there are many oysters]
6
technical
: a layer of rock or some other material from inside the earth
fossil beds
a bed of shale
7
: the platform or box in the back of some kinds of trucks
the bed of the truck
We loaded the equipment and put a cover over the truck bed.
beds; bedded; bedding
1
informal + old-fashioned
: to have sex with (someone)
He has fantasies about bedding a fashion model.
2
: to place (food) on a pile or layer of something else
—usually used as (be) bedded
a mixture of scallops and lobster bedded on rice
Cite this Entry
“Bed.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/bed. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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