From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishldoce_020_ibedbed1 /bed/ ●●● S1 W1 noun 1 sleep [countable, uncountable] a piece of furniture that you sleep onin bed Simon lay in bed thinking. You should go to bed early. She got into bed and turned out the light.before bed (=before going to bed) Dad has a whisky before bed. → camp bed, four-poster bed, sofa bed2 sex [uncountable] informal used to refer to having sex I came home and found him in bed with (=having sex with) my best friend. He wanted me to go to bed with him. He’s been trying to get his secretary into bed. She told me he was good in bed (=a skilful lover).3 river/lake/sea [countable]HEO the flat ground at the bottom of a river, lake, or sea the sea bed► see thesaurus at bottom4 garden [countable]DLG an area of a garden, park etc that has been prepared for plants to grow in rose beds5 rock [countable]HEG a layer of rock → bedrock(2)6 lowest layer [singular]BOTTOM a layer of something that forms a base that other things are put on top ofbed of prawns on a bed of lettuce7 HEOin river/water [countable] an area at the edge of a river or in deeper water where things grow an oyster bed The birds build their nests in reed beds along the river bank. 8 → get out of bed on the wrong side9 → not a bed of roses10 → you’ve made your bed and you must lie on it11 → put something to bedGRAMMAR: Patterns with bedon the bed• You use on the bed when someone is not covered by sheets or blankets: He sat on the bed and took off his shoes.I lay on the bed and looked at the ceiling.in bed• You use in bed when someone is covered with sheets or blankets: I spent the morning in bed.in the bed• You use in the bed to refer to a particular bed: There was no one in the bed.COLLOCATIONSverbsgo to bedWhat time do you go to bed at night?get into bed/get out of bedI usually read for a bit after I get into bed.climb into bedLucy climbed into bed and lay awake thinking.crawl into bed (=get into bed feeling very tired)We finally crawled into bed at three in the morning.jump into/out of bedI jumped out of bed and ran over to the window.get somebody out of bed (=make someone get out of bed)His mother couldn’t get him out of bed in the mornings.stay in bed (=not get up early/at the usual time)At the weekend it’s really nice to be able to stay in bed.make the bed (=tidy the sheets and covers after you get up)Don’t forget to make your bed before you go out!change a bed (=put clean sheets on it)You should change the beds at least once a fortnight.put somebody to bed (=put a child in their bed)I put the baby to bed at 7 o'clock as usual.take to your bed written (=go to bed because you feel ill)Guy had a stomach ache and took to his bed.adjectivesa single bed (=for one person)There was only a single bed.a double bed (=a bed for two people)Would you like a double bed or twin beds?a king-size bed (=a very big double bed)a queen-size bed (=a big bed for two people)twin beds (=two single beds in a room)bunk beds (=two single beds joined together one above the other)The kids love sleeping in bunk beds.a spare bed (=a bed for visitors to your home)Come and stay any time – we have a spare bed.a feather bed (=a bed with feathers in the mattress)phrasesthe foot/head of the bed (=the bottom/top of the bed)I woke up to find someone standing at the foot of the bed.(it’s) time for bedShe sat and sewed until it was time for bed.
Examples from the Corpus
bed• We made love in my big bed as the lemon light of winter days passed into reddish nights.• an old brass bed• Smooth stones covered the creek bed.• a double bed• She slides her hand under the mattress on the double bed, brings out a revolver and slips it into her bag.• I tiptoe over to her bed and give her a nudge.• I was back in a few minutes, but the boy was not on his bed.• Were they to be three in that huge bed?• the river bed• The screens were around the bed and the draught from the door set them billowing like sails.• She thought Robin must sleep in this bed with Penny, curled around her protectively as you would sleep with a kitten.in bed with• I dreamt that I was in Cardiff and in bed with the wife.• Talk about getting in bed with your readers.• Maryland should not follow in the footsteps of those states that symbolically got in bed with the Ku Klux Klan.• Other days, she would draw the curtains in their room and lie in bed with a cloth pressed to her forehead.• The brother died and Hubert spent two days lying in bed with the corpse of his brother.• The brass represents a woman sitting up in bed with two females standing on each side of the bed.• He was in bed with another woman.• Richard was in bed with dysentery.bed of• Our pasta salad is served on a bed of lettuce.bedbed2 verb (bedded, bedding) [transitive] 1 ATTACHto fix something firmly and deeply into something elsebed something in something The foundations were bedded in cement.2 SEX/HAVE SEX WITH old-fashioned to have sex with someone → bed down → bed something ↔ out→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
bed• Are you about ready to bed down for the night, Bern?• So the total effect was like bedding down for the night on the north face of Kilimanjaro.• Luch bedded on a bag of bracken in a corner, but she and Ranald woke earlier than the old man.• It can also be used to bed wood floor blocks, cork and vinyl tiles.BEdBEd British English, B.Ed. American English /biː ˈed/ noun [countable] (Bachelor of Education) a first university degree in educationExamples from the Corpus
BEd• Enough progress had been made by March 197 1 for a BEd ordinary degree to be approved.• These procedures work prorata for BEd students on a four-year degree.• The structure of many BEd courses, however, made this impossible.• It decided to join the team visiting Berkshire to discuss the BEd revisions.• The BEd report was issued in December, after a second conference had discussed the DipHE report in June.Origin bed Old English bedd 