Bedtime Meaning
/ˈbɛdtaɪm/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounThe time or hour at which one retires to bed in order to sleep.
Sentence Examples
He reads before bedtime.
Time for a hot bath, and then it's bedtime.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The children brushed their teeth and read a story before ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The children usually have their ____ story at eight o'clock every night.
Word Origin & History
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”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"I read every evening, sometimes late into the night, with the help of kerosene lamps, often secretly, past my bedtime."
— 2004, Vartan Gregorian, The Road to Home: My Life and Times, page 55:
"Irregular bedtimes may disrupt healthy brain development in young children, according to a study of intelligence and sleeping habits.
Going to bed at a different time each night affected girls more than boys, but both fared worse on mental tasks than children who had a set bedtime, researchers found."
— 2013 July 19, Ian Sample, “Irregular bedtimes may affect children's brains”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 34:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The children brushed their teeth and read a story before ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The children usually have their ____ story at eight o'clock every night.