- 1[countable, uncountable] a piece of furniture for sleeping on a single/double bed She lay on the bed (= on top of the covers). He lay in bed (= under the covers). I'm tired—I'm going to bed. It's time for bed (= time to go to sleep). I'll just put the kids to bed. He likes to have a cup of cocoa before bed (= before going to bed). to get into/out of bed to make the bed (= arrange the covers in a tidy way) Could you give me a bed for the night (= somewhere to sleep)? There's a shortage of hospital beds (= not enough room for patients to be admitted). He has been confined to bed with flu for the past couple of days. see sofa bed, twin bed, waterbed of river/lake/sea
- 2[countable] the bottom of a river, the ocean, etc. the ocean bed oyster beds (= an area in the ocean where there are many oysters)
- 3[countable] an area of ground in a yard or park for growing flowers, vegetables, etc. flower beds see seedbed bottom layer
- 4[countable] bed of something a layer of something that other things lie or rest on grilled chicken, served on a bed of rice The blocks should be laid on a bed of concrete. geology
- 5[countable] a layer of clay, rock, etc. in the ground see bedrock Idioms
furniture
(not) an easy or a pleasant situation Their life together hasn't exactly been a bed of roses.
to die because you are old or sick
to be in a bad mood for the whole day for no particular reason
to have sex with someone
used to refer to sexual activity What's he like in bed? I caught them in bed together (= having sex).
to go to bed and stay there because you are sick
to urinate in your bed by accident It is quite common for small children to wet their beds.
you must accept the results of your actions
Check pronunciation: bed