bed bath

Meanings

1. 1nouncountablemedical

   A wash of the whole body given by a carer to someone who cannot get out of bed, using a bowl of water and a cloth.

   Grammar: Countable: give someone a bed bath, have a bed bath.

   Patterns

   • give someone a bed bath
   • have a bed bath

   The nurse gave him a bed bath because he could not stand.

   A daily bed bath helps keep the skin clean and healthy.

   She gently helped her grandmother through a bed bath each morning.

2. 2nouncountableinformal

   A quick, thorough wash with a cloth, done by someone else, usually while the person stays lying down.

   Grammar: Often spoken of in care homes: a bed bath at bedtime.

   Patterns

   • a bed bath at night

   Care workers do a bed bath with warm water and soft towels.

   He felt refreshed after a bed bath on the hospital ward.

   The training course taught students how to give a bed bath respectfully.

Word forms

Common combinations

give a bed bath

Nurses give a bed bath to patients who cannot wash themselves.

have a bed bath

After surgery, he had a bed bath every morning.

bed bath at home

A carer comes for a bed bath at home twice a week.

complete bed bath

A complete bed bath takes about twenty minutes.

offer a bed bath

The staff offered a bed bath after the long night.

Synonyms and how they differ

sponge bath

Sponge bath is the usual American term and can also mean washing yourself with a damp cloth.

blanket bath

Blanket bath is the older British term for the same care and is slowly falling out of use.

wash

Wash is a general word for cleaning and does not imply being in bed.

Opposites

Word family

bed noun

furniture to sleep on

bath noun

a wash in a tub of water

bedridden adjective

unable to leave bed because of illness

bedside noun

the area next to a bed

Commonly confused: bed bath or bubble bath?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “bed bath”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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