bed
77
5.2
- noun
- /bɛd/
- Specialized
- The construction workers dug deep into the earth to reach the solid rock bed underneath.
- stream bed
- dry stream bed
- lake bed
Examples
-
Once Dick was gone, she sat on the bed and smoked three cigarettes in the dark room.
Academic text (2012) -
It's... this giant dried up lake bed and it goes for miles and miles.
-
We could leave the island, the river bed's dry right now.
-
Frank drops the box into a bed of sand in a sink surrounded by sandbags.
Fiction book (1992) -
Photo: A Sahara cypress grows in the dry stream bed of Tamrit in Algeria.
Academic text (1991) -
The river flowed gently over a bed of smooth pebbles, making it a popular spot for kayakers.
-
Geologists study the layers of sediment in the riverbed to learn about the area's history.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
The flat surface at the bottom of a room, building, or natural area
∞
1.0
The lowest part or surface of a thing, often under water
373
2.0
A thin sheet of material that covers a surface
31
2.9
The bottom of the sea or ocean with plains, ridges, and trenches
15
3.0
The ground at the bottom of a river where water flows
13
6.3
A layer of coal or ore in the earth that can be mined
12
4.7
The solid rock layer under the soil and loose ground
11
2.4
The ground at the bottom of the sea where sand and rocks lie
7
3.4
The dry or wet bottom of a small stream where water flows
4
2.9
The ground at the bottom of a lake
3
2.9
The ground at the lowest part of a river channel where water flows
3
3.7
The lowest part of the sea where sand and mud rest
3
2.5
The floor of the sea where sand, rocks, and animals live
1
6.7
A layer of material under a road or train track that supports it
1
3.4
The ground at the bottom of a lake under the water or exposed when dry
1
4.3
A layer of earth and stones under train tracks that supports them
1
8.0
A layer of rock that contains metal or useful minerals people mine
A layer of ash or charcoal in the ground showing a past fire
Idioms
Compounds
- Specialized
51
2.0
A bed used in hospitals that can be raised or lowered to help care for patients
- Specialized
2
4.4
A place with tools for checking how machines or programs work under real conditions
- Archaic
1
5.1
Short, lightweight clothing that you wear over pajamas when sitting in bed for warmth
- Specialized
1
5.5
A network of tiny blood vessels in tissue where blood gives oxygen and nutrients to cells and removes waste
- Slur
1
9.9
An insulting name for a woman thought to be sexually available, also used in the past for a household servant
- Specialized
The part of the lung with many tiny air sacs where gases pass into the blood
- Specialized
The part of the jawbone that holds the tooth sockets and supports teeth
- Specialized
A layer of sand or gravel in a sewage plant where tiny living things break down waste
- Specialized
A machine that burns fuel in a hot layer of small particles to make steam more efficiently and cleanly
How Thick
Surface Forms
Etymology
Bed in words like riverbed or road bed comes from the idea of a 'place where something lies' or the 'bottom' of something. So a river bed or road bed is the base layer that holds the water or the road.