bedside

IPA/ˈbedsaɪd/
KK[bˈɛdsˌaɪd]IPA/ˈbedsaɪd/

bedside — noun

  • bedsidesingular
  • bedsidesplural

1. the space near someone's bed, often where an ill person is resting

1.nounB2
Definition

the space near someone's bed, often where an ill person is resting

Example

A glass of water stayed on the chair by Emma's bedside.

by + someone's bedside

After surgery, Rosa's son slept in a chair at her bedside.

at + someone's bedside

Common collocations
  • at someone's bedside
  • by someone's bedside
  • hospital bedside
  • patient's bedside
Synonyms
  • side of the bed

    a plain descriptive phrase, often more literal and less fixed

  • bedside area

    broader and often used when talking about the space around the bed

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

at someone's bedside

by someone's bedside

Usage Note

Often follows at or by, especially when talking about visiting or caring for a sick person. It can mean a simple place next to any bed, but hospital contexts make that patient-related meaning especially common.

Common Mistakes

Her family sat beside during the night.
Her family sat at her bedside during the night.
bedside is a noun here, so it needs an article or possessive phrase.

bedside — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For sense 1, bedside means the exact place next to a bed, often where you keep a lamp, medicine, or a glass of water. Bed is much broader: it names the whole piece of furniture, not the space beside it. Side of the bed is a looser phrase and often just means one half of the bed, especially when two people share it. Foot of the bed points to the end opposite the pillows, so it does not overlap with bedside. In hospital use, bedside can also sound more personal because it often suggests a patient and the people waiting near that person. You might say The nurse stood at his bedside, but The bag is under the bed.

bedside ↗bed ↗side of the bedfoot of the bed

Common collocations

Nouns

  • bedside lamp
  • bedside table
  • bedside manner
  • bedside reading

Phrases

  • at someone's bedside
  • by someone's bedside

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Bedside is a native English compound made from bed and side. English first used it for the place next to a bed, and later extended it to adjective uses for things found, done, or read there, especially around a sick person's bed.