Meaning & use
bedposts
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“bedposts” is a form of “bedpost”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nouncountable
One of the tall upright pieces at the corner of a bed frame, especially an old-fashioned wooden bed.
Grammar: Countable: one bedpost, two bedposts. It is almost always used in the plural because beds have several.
Patterns
- the bedposts of a bed
- between you, me, and the bedpost
The old wooden bed had four carved bedposts.
She hung her hat on one of the bedposts.
The bedposts were so tall that a canopy could be fixed on top.
Word forms
| singular | bedpost |
|---|
Common combinations
- carved bedposts
- The antique bed had beautifully carved bedposts.
- brass bedposts
- He polished the brass bedposts until they shone.
- tall bedposts
- The tall bedposts made the room look like a castle.
- between you, me, and the bedpost
- Between you, me, and the bedpost, I think he's lying.
Synonyms and how they differ
- post
- A general word for any upright pole; 'bedpost' is only the one on a bed.
Word family
- bedpost noun
- The singular form, used when talking about one post.
Commonly confused: bedposts or bedspread?
bedposts vs bedspread
A bedspread is a cover for a bed, not a part of the frame.
Practice
Choose the correct word: 'The child tied a ribbon around one of the ______.'
Choose one answer.
'Bedposts' are the upright posts of a bed, so a ribbon can be tied around one. 'Bedspreads' are covers, 'bedrooms' are rooms, and 'bedtimes' are times for sleeping, so none of those can have a ribbon tied around them.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bedposts”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.