Meaning & use
go to bed
Last updated
Meanings
phraseidiom
To get into your bed in order to sleep, usually at night or when you are tired.
Grammar: Intransitive: you go to bed. No object is used; do not say 'go to the bed' when talking about sleeping.
Patterns
- go to bed
- go to bed early
- go to bed late
- go to bed at + time
I usually go to bed around eleven o'clock.
The children go to bed at eight every night.
She was so tired that she went to bed before dinner.
phraseidiomeuphemistic
To have sex with someone, used as a polite or indirect way of speaking.
Grammar: Often followed by 'with': go to bed with someone. This sense is euphemistic and less common than the sleep sense.
Patterns
- go to bed with someone
He said he would never go to bed with someone on a first date.
The novel hints that the two characters go to bed together.
Word forms
| third person singular | goes to bed |
|---|---|
| past tense | went to bed |
| past participle | gone to bed |
| -ing form | going to bed |
Common combinations
- go to bed early
- I want to go to bed early tonight.
- go to bed late
- He often goes to bed late on weekends.
- go to bed at ten
- They go to bed at ten on school nights.
- go to bed with someone
- She refused to go to bed with him.
Synonyms and how they differ
- retire
- A more formal word meaning to go to bed; it is often used in writing or when speaking politely.
- turn in
- An informal phrasal verb meaning to go to bed; it is common in American English.
Opposites
Commonly confused: go to bed or go to sleep?
go to bed vs go to sleep
'Go to sleep' means to start sleeping, while 'go to bed' means to get into bed. You can go to bed but not go to sleep for a long time.
Practice
Which sentence is correct?
Choose one answer.
The fixed phrase is 'go to bed' without 'the'. 'Go to the bed' suggests walking to a specific bed, not sleeping. 'Go bed' is missing 'to'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “go to bed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.