mattress

noun

mat·​tress ˈma-trəs 

plural mattresses

1

a

: a fabric case filled with resilient material (such as cotton, hair, feathers, foam rubber, or an arrangement of coiled springs) used either alone as a bed or on a bedstead

b

: a soft, airtight case that is designed to be inflated and used as a bed : air mattress

2

: a device (as of interwoven brush and poles) used to protect a shoreline, bank, or streambed from erosion

Examples of mattress in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Snap up coffee tables, sofas, patio furniture, bar stools, mattresses, and more before these deals expire. —Maggie Horton, People.com, 28 Mar. 2025

Not just for mattresses or melatonin, but for devices that promise to decode our dreams, coach us into REM, and deliver the kind of rest that our grandparents took for granted. —Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025

The sustainability factor is evident here, too, from the timber ceilings to cork-upholstered sofas, organic wool-and-cotton, king-size mattresses, and the limestone plaster walls. —John Wogan, Travel + Leisure, 25 Mar. 2025

Depending on your sleeping position, various sleep products—such as pillows and mattresses—are available to help support your spine. —David Kesselman, Verywell Health, 24 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English materas, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin materacium, from Arabic maṭraḥ place where something is thrown

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing mattress

• air mattress
• mattress pad

Kids Definition

mattress

noun

mat·​tress ˈma-trəs 

1

: a fabric case filled with springy material used as a bed or on a bedstead

2

: a sack that can be filled with air or water and used as a mattress