Meaning & use
single bed
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Meaning
nouncountable
A bed whose size is meant for one sleeper, narrower than a bed shared by two people.
Grammar: Has a plural: two single beds; the article is needed in the singular: a single bed.
Patterns
- sleep in a single bed
- a room with a single bed
- buy a single bed for someone
The guest room only has a single bed, so my cousin will need to take the sofa.
He moved from a crib to a single bed when he turned three.
There was barely space for a desk beside the single bed in her tiny room.
Word forms
| plural | single beds |
|---|
Common combinations
- narrow single bed
- The hostel dorm was lined with narrow single beds.
- make up a single bed
- Could you make up a single bed for Grandpa before he arrives?
- share a single bed
- As children, the two cousins had to share a single bed during holidays.
- single bed frame
- A metal single bed frame fits easily in the attic.
- two single beds
- We asked for a twin room with two single beds, not a double.
Synonyms and how they differ
- twin bed
- Twin bed is the usual American term for the same size, and it often suggests one of a matching pair in a room.
- cot
- A cot is a light, narrow, often folding bed used temporarily or in simple settings, whereas a single bed is a regular piece of bedroom furniture.
- bunk
- A bunk is one of two or more beds stacked or built into a wall, so it describes the arrangement rather than the size.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: single bed or single room?
single bed vs single room
A single room is a hotel room booked for one guest, and it may well contain a double bed. A single bed describes the bed itself.
Practice
Which description best fits a single bed?
Choose one answer.
Single here refers to the number of people the bed is made for. A bed for two adults is a double bed; the other options describe time or construction, not size.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “single bed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.