Meaning & use
bedside
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Meanings
nounusually singular
The area or space right next to a bed, especially in a hospital or home.
Grammar: Usually used with 'at' or 'by': at the bedside, by the bedside.
Patterns
- at someone's bedside
- by the bedside
- at the bedside of someone
She stayed at his bedside all night after the operation.
A nurse was sitting by the bedside, checking his pulse.
Family members gathered at the bedside to say goodbye.
adjectivebefore a noun
Positioned next to or used beside a bed, as in furniture or medical care.
Grammar: Always comes before the noun it describes: a bedside lamp, bedside care.
Patterns
- bedside table
- bedside lamp
- bedside manner
- bedside care
He put his glasses on the bedside table before going to sleep.
The doctor's calm bedside manner helped the nervous patient relax.
She turned off the bedside lamp and closed her eyes.
Common combinations
- at someone's bedside
- The whole family was at her bedside when she woke up.
- bedside table
- There's a glass of water on the bedside table.
- bedside manner
- A good doctor needs both knowledge and a kind bedside manner.
- bedside lamp
- He reads for an hour each night with the bedside lamp on.
- bedside care
- The nurses provided excellent bedside care during his recovery.
Synonyms and how they differ
- by the bed
- A plain phrase used when you do not need the single-word adjective; 'bedside' is more compact and common in medical contexts.
Commonly confused: bedside or bedside vs. bed side?
bedside vs bedside vs. bed side
'Bedside' is one word meaning next to a bed; 'the side of the bed' is a longer phrase that describes the physical edge of the bed itself.
Practice
The nurse stayed ___ the patient's bedside until the fever went down.
Choose one answer.
'At the bedside' is the fixed pattern for being next to a bed, especially in medical care. 'On' would suggest lying on the bed, and 'in' would suggest being inside it, neither of which fits the meaning of staying close by.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bedside”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.