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

Stay Here: Rent a tent to camp at the misty Pang Ung lakeside (inclusive of a mattress and blanket) or check in to nearby Reverie Siam, a riverside resort inspired by early 20th-century colonial architecture. —Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2025

She’s been covering sleep products for over two years and has tested more than 50 mattresses, helped to oversee mattress testing in our lab and even toured a mattress factory to learn more about how mattresses go from raw materials to your bedroom. —Jaylyn Pruitt, Health, 21 Feb. 2025

Police said the mom had some contact with her son, who slept on a mattress inside the home. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2025

The federal holiday is also a day to get a bargain on a mattress or to get a deal on a meal. —Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 17 Feb. 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