bedpan

noun

bed·​pan ˈbed-ˌpan How to pronounce bedpan (audio)
: a shallow vessel used by a bedridden person for urination or defecation

Examples of bedpan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Older women with boyfriends, yes; older women with bedpans, no. Daniel Immerwahr, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024 Tawse had decorated the hospital bedpans in red, white and blue tape, a small symbol of the excitement greeting 27-year-old Elizabeth as the new head of the royal family on the brink of a technicolor age. Reuters, ABC News, 2 May 2023 Ricky, 46, says he was routinely cursed and yelled at by an elderly client and has never been paid as much as minimum wage for changing bedpans and diapers, among other chores. Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2023 To insert a bedpan under a patient. Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2022 See all Example Sentences for bedpan 

Word History

First Known Use

1678, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bedpan was in 1678

Dictionary Entries Near bedpan

Cite this Entry

“Bedpan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bedpan. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

bedpan

noun
bed·​pan ˈbed-ˌpan How to pronounce bedpan (audio)
: a shallow pan for use as a toilet by a person forced to stay in bed

Medical Definition

bedpan

noun
bed·​pan ˈbed-ˌpan How to pronounce bedpan (audio)
: a shallow vessel used by a bedridden person for urination or defecation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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