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Glite Dictionary
bedside table

bedside table

18 1.9
A small table next to a bed for a lamp, books, or a phone
  • noun
  • /ˈbɛdˌsaɪd ˈteɪbəl/
translation icon : mesita de noche
  • On my bedside table, I keep a lamp, a clock, and some books to read at night.

This can live on your night stand, bedside table and charge up all the variety of devices.

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Examples

  • My brother kept your yearbook photo on his bedside table.

    The Greatest (2009)

  • I found this on the bedside table.

    Mr. Nobody (2009)

  • This can live on your night stand, bedside table and charge up all the variety of devices.

    Unbox Therapy

  • I found this in the bedside table.

    Bad Santa 2 (2016)

  • The alarm clock on the bedside table told him that it was three in the morning.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • The glass of water on my bedside table stood empty, but I knew I had filled it.

  • On the bottom shelf of the bedside table, he found some old magazines and an open book.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Her mother stacked the books on her own bedside table and intended, she said, to read each one.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • I set a burning votive candle in a red glass on my bedside table.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • I have Stark's The Valley of the Assassins on my bedside table and can't wait to open it.

    Academic text (2007)

Synonyms

nightstand
vsbedside table
  • US
45 1.5

A small table next to a bed for a lamp or books

is used the same way but can also hold medical equipment
chevet
vsbedside table
  • UK
9.9

A small table next to a bed that holds a lamp or books

is a plain surface next to a bed, not furniture with built storage

How Big

chest
363 1.0
bedside table
18 1.9

Surface Forms

bedside table singular
bedside tables plural

Morphology

bedside + table

The meaning 'a small table next to a bed' is directly and transparently built from 'bedside' (next to a bed) + 'table' (a piece of furniture). This ordinary noun–noun composition follows common English and cross-linguistic patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the compound meaning.

Etymology

Bedside table is a simple image: a table placed at the bed's side to hold a lamp, a book, or a glass. So, the phrase means 'a small table placed next to a bed for personal items'.