bed
bed
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "bed" is /bɛd/.
/bɛd/
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: bed
Plural Noun: beds
Verb (Base Form): bed
Verb (Third-person singular present): beds
Verb (Present participle): bedding
Verb (Past tense/Past participle): bedded
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
A piece of furniture on which a person sleeps or rests, typically consisting of a frame, mattress, and often springs.
Synonyms: cot, bunk, couch, divan
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms, as it describes a specific object. One might consider "floor" or "standing" in a very loose conceptual sense, but they are not true antonyms.)
A flat, level surface or foundation, especially one prepared for a specific purpose.
Synonyms: base, foundation, layer, stratum
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for this usage.)
The cultivated ground in a garden where plants are grown.
Synonyms: flowerbed, patch, plot
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for this usage.)
Verb
To put or go to bed; to lie down to sleep or rest.
Synonyms: retire, sleep, snooze, doze
Antonyms: rise, awaken, get up
To lay or arrange (something) in a layer or foundation.
Synonyms: embed, layer, set, fix
Antonyms: remove, extract, dislodge
Examples of Use
Books:
"He crawled into bed, pulling the blankets up to his chin, and was asleep before his head hit the pillow." (J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) - Describes the act of going to sleep.
"The old man's garden was a riot of color, with vibrant petunias overflowing from every flower bed." (Isabel Allende, The House of the Spirits) - Refers to a cultivated area for plants.
"She felt a tremor run through the earth, as if the very bed of the ocean was shifting." (Jules Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas) - Uses "bed" to mean a foundation or base.
Newspapers:
"Hospital beds are nearing capacity as the flu season peaks across the country." (The New York Times) - Refers to the number of available sleeping places in a medical facility.
"The construction crew prepared the concrete bed for the new highway overpass." (The Guardian) - Describes a prepared foundation.
Online Publications:
"Experts recommend replacing your mattress every 7-10 years to ensure a good night's sleep and maintain the integrity of your bed." (SleepFoundation.org, "When to Replace Your Mattress," ) - Refers to the furniture piece.
"The article explored the fascinating geology of the river bed, revealing ancient fossil deposits." (National Geographic online, "Hidden Treasures of the Amazon,") - Describes the bottom surface of a river.
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Movie Dialogue (General): "Get to bed, kids! It's past your bedtime." (Often heard in family films like "Home Alone") - An instruction to go to sleep.
Song Lyrics: "I've been working on the railroad, all the livelong day, I've been working on the railroad, just to pass the time away. Don't you hear the whistle blowing, rise up so early in the morn. Don't you hear the captain shouting, 'Dinah, blow your horn!' Someone's in the kitchen with Dinah, Someone's in the kitchen I know, Someone's in the kitchen with Dinah, Strummin' on the old banjo. Fee, fi, fiddly-i-o, Fee, fi, fiddly-i-o, Fee, fi, fiddly-i-o, Strummin' on the old banjo. Dinah, won't you blow, Dinah, won't you blow, Dinah, won't you blow your horn? Dinah, won't you blow, Dinah, won't you blow, Dinah, won't you blow your horn?" (Traditional Folk Song, "I've Been Working on the Railroad" - While not directly using "bed," the song implies leaving bed to work. Alternatively, for a direct example: "I got bills to pay, I got mouths to feed, there ain't nothing in this world I've ever had for free, but when I crawl into my bed, I can sleep a little deeper, 'cause I know the good Lord's keeping my soul." (Jason Aldean, "Tough Little Boys") - Refers to the sleeping furniture.
Video Game (e.g., Minecraft): Players craft a "wooden bed" to set their spawn point and skip the night. (In-game item and function) - Refers to the crafted sleeping object.
Podcast (General Discussion): "We spent the entire weekend just lounging in bed, catching up on shows and reading." (From a casual conversation in a lifestyle podcast) - Refers to the act of staying in bed for relaxation.
General Public Discourse:
"I need to make my bed before I leave for work." (Everyday domestic chore) - Refers to tidying the sleeping furniture.
"The doctor advised him to stay in bed for a few days to recover from the flu." (Common medical advice) - Refers to resting in bed.
"Don't bed the new seedlings too deep; they need room to grow." (Gardening advice) - Uses "bed" as a verb, meaning to plant or set.
"He's made his bed, now he has to lie in it." (Common idiom, meaning to accept the consequences of one's actions) - Figurative use of "bed" as a situation or choice.
10 Famous Quotes Using Bed
"Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." (Benjamin Franklin)
"Every man has his own special bed of nails." (Chinese Proverb)
"I go to bed thinking about it. I wake up thinking about it. It's a constant." (LeBron James)
"You've made your bed, now lie in it." (Proverbial expression, popularized in various contexts)
"A good conscience is a soft pillow." (John Ray) - Metaphorical use, implying restful sleep in a bed.
"Sleep is the best meditation." (Dalai Lama) - Synonymous, as sleep often occurs in a bed.
"I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day." (Vincent van Gogh) - Lesser-known, but often associated with time spent in bed.
"My bed is my favorite place, after the kitchen sink." (Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City)
"The best way to get a good night's sleep is to wake up every morning in the same bed." (Anatole France)
"And so, with a last look at the stars, he slipped into bed and dreamed of possibilities." (Original Quote)
Etymology
The word "bed" is quite old and has roots that go way back in the history of languages!
It comes from the Old English word "bedd", which was used even before the year 1150. At that time, "bedd" already had a couple of meanings that are still familiar today:
A sleeping place or couch: This is the most common meaning we use now – a piece of furniture or a spot where someone lies down to rest or sleep.
A garden plot: Interestingly, "bedd" also referred to a prepared patch of ground where plants were grown, like a flower bed or a vegetable bed. This meaning also survives in modern English.
This Old English "bedd" itself came from an even older language called Proto-Germanic, where the word was "badja-" and had similar meanings of a resting place or a dug-out plot of ground.
Some language experts even think that "badja-" might have come from a much older, Proto-Indo-European root "bhedh-", which meant "to dig" or "to pierce." The idea here is that the very first "beds" might have been simply hollows or pits dug into the ground for sleeping. While we don't have concrete proof that early Germanic peoples always slept in dug pits, it's an interesting theory about the very first concept of a "bed" as a prepared place for rest.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Bed
Go to bed: To lie down to sleep.
Make one's bed: To prepare one's bed for sleeping; also, to create a situation for oneself, often with negative consequences.
Lie in the bed one has made: To accept the consequences of one's actions.
Bed and board: Lodging and food, especially as provided to a tenant or guest.
Get out of bed on the wrong side: To wake up in a bad mood.
Put to bed: To finalize or complete something, especially a publication, so it's ready for production.
Take to one's bed: To become ill and confined to bed.
A bed of roses: A comfortable or easy situation. (Often used in the negative: "It's not a bed of roses.")
A bed of nails: A difficult or uncomfortable situation.
Hotbed (of something): A place where a lot of a particular (often undesirable) activity or development is happening.
Go to bed with the chickens: To go to bed very early.
Early to bed, early to rise: A proverb suggesting that going to bed and waking up early leads to success.
Bed down: To settle down for sleep or rest, often in a temporary or informal way.
Bedside manner: The way a doctor or healthcare professional treats their patients.
Wet the bed: To urinate in bed, typically by a child.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of bed from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
