Standard Lemma guide

bedtime

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • bĕdʹtīm
  • /ˈbɛdtaɪm/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: B EH1 D T AY2 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The time or hour at which one retires to bed in order to sleep.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the time you go to bed

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: hour, time of day

Narrower terms: lights-out

History

Etymology

From Middle English bedtyme, bed-tyme, bedetyme, bedde tyme, equivalent to bed + time. Compare earlier Old English bedtīd (“bedtime”). Compare also West Frisian bêdtiid (“bedtime”), Dutch bedtijd (“bedtime”), Saterland Frisian Bädegungenstied (“bedtime”, literally “bed-goings-time”), German Low German Beddgahnstied, Bettgahnstiet (“bedtime”, literally “bed-goings-time”).

Across languages

Translations

44 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: време за лягане (vreme za ljagane) — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Chinese Mandarin: 就寢時間 /就寝时间 (jiùqǐn shíjiān) — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Danish: sengetid — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Dutch: bedtijd — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Dutch: kinderbedtijd — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Esperanto: dormohoro — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Finnish: nukkumaanmenoaika — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • French: heure du coucher — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • French: dodo — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Georgian: ძილის დრო (ʒilis dro) — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Georgian: დაძინების დრო (daʒinebis dro) — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • German: Schlafenszeit — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • German: Zeit zum Schlafengehen — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • German: Zeit ins Bett zu gehen — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • German: Zeit zu Bett zu gehen — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Hungarian: lefekvési idő — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Hungarian: lefekvés ideje — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Irish: am luí — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Khmer: ម៉ោងចូលគេង (maongcoulkeing) — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Korean: 취침 시간 (chwichim sigan) — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Central Kurdish: کاتی خەوتن (katî xewtin) — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Northern Kurdish: dema raketinê — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Norwegian Bokmål: sengetid — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Norwegian Bokmål: leggetid — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: sengetid — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: sengtid — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: leggetid — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: leggjetid — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Old English: bedtīd — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Portuguese: hora de dormir — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Romanian: timpul de culcare — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Russian: вре́мя ложи́ться спать (vrémja ložítʹsja spatʹ) — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Russian: отбо́й (otbój) — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Spanish: hora de dormir — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Sudovian: gulta — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Swedish: läggdags — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Swedish: sängdags — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Swedish: sovdags — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Swedish: nanedags — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Turkish: uyku vakti — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Turkish: yatma vakti — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Vietnamese: giờ đi ngủ — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Volapük: slipüp — time when one goes to bed to sleep
  • Volapük: slipatim — time when one goes to bed to sleep