Meaning & use
the cot
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Meanings
phrasefixed phraseBritish
A small bed with high sides for a baby or young child.
Grammar: The is used when both speaker and listener know which cot is meant: Put the baby in the cot.
Patterns
- put someone in the cot
- sleep in the cot
- get someone out of the cot
She laid the baby gently in the cot.
The cot has a mobile hanging above it.
He climbed out of the cot by himself.
phrasefixed phraseBritish
A light, narrow bed that can be folded and carried, used by campers or soldiers.
Grammar: Often used with 'camp' or 'army': the camp cot. In British English this is also called a camp bed.
Patterns
- sleep on the cot
- fold the cot
- set up the cot
We set up the cot in the tent.
The soldier slept on the cot in the barracks.
The cot folds flat for easy storage.
Common combinations
- in the cot
- The baby is asleep in the cot.
- the cot is too small
- The cot is too small for him now.
- a cot by the bed
- They kept a cot by the bed for the newborn.
Synonyms and how they differ
- crib
- The usual American word for a baby's bed with high sides; 'cot' is standard in British English.
- camp bed
- British term for a light folding bed; 'cot' in this sense is more common in American English.
Word family
- cot death noun
- British term for the sudden death of a baby while sleeping; now often called SIDS.
Commonly confused: the cot or coat? the cot or cut?
the cot vs coat
A coat is a piece of clothing; a cot is a bed. They sound similar but are unrelated.
the cot vs cut
Cut means to slice or divide; cot is a bed. The vowel sound is different.
Practice
In British English, where does a baby sleep?
Choose one answer.
A baby sleeps in a cot — 'in' shows being inside it. 'On a cot' would suggest lying on top of a folding bed, and the other options are not natural.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “the cot”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.