the bed

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   the piece of furniture that you sleep on, especially the one in your room

   Grammar: Usually used with 'the' when referring to a specific bed, e.g., 'I left the bed unmade.'

   Patterns

   • in the bed
   • on the bed
   • go to the bed

   She made the bed before leaving for work.

   The cat is sleeping on the bed.

   He sat on the edge of the bed and put on his shoes.

2. 2nouncountable

   the bottom of a river, lake, or sea

   Grammar: Often used in phrases like 'the river bed' or 'the sea bed'.

   Patterns

   • the river bed
   • the sea bed
   • the lake bed

   The river bed was dry after the long drought.

   They found ancient coins on the sea bed.

   The boat sank to the bed of the lake.

3. 3nouncountable

   an area of ground in a garden where flowers or vegetables are planted

   Grammar: Often used with 'flower' or 'vegetable': a flower bed.

   Patterns

   • flower bed
   • vegetable bed
   • garden bed

   She planted roses in the flower bed.

   The vegetable bed needs watering.

   We dug up the bed to plant new seeds.

Word forms

Common combinations

make the bed

I make the bed every morning.

go to bed

It's late; I should go to bed.

in bed

He stayed in bed with a cold.

bed and breakfast

We stayed at a cozy bed and breakfast.

Synonyms and how they differ

cot

A small bed for a baby or a temporary bed; 'bed' is the general term.

bunk

A bed stacked above another; 'bed' is any sleeping furniture.

Word family

bedding noun

Coverings for a bed, such as sheets and blankets.

bedroom noun

A room for sleeping, usually containing a bed.

Commonly confused: the bed or bad?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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