pillow

[ pil-oh ]
See synonyms for: pillowpillowedpillowing on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a bag or case made of cloth that is filled with feathers, down, or other soft material, and is used to cushion the head during sleep or rest.

  2. anything used to cushion the head; headrest: a pillow of moss.

  1. Also called lace pillow. a hard cushion or pad that supports the pattern and threads in the making of bobbin lace.

  2. a supporting piece or part, as the block on which the inner end of a bowsprit rests.

verb (used with object)
  1. to rest on or as on a pillow.

  2. to support with pillows.

  1. to serve as a pillow for: She pillowed the child with her body.

verb (used without object)
  1. to rest as on a pillow.

Origin of pillow

1
before 900; Middle English pilwe,Old English pylu<Latin pulvīnus cushion (whence also German Pfühl)

synonym study For pillow

1. See cushion.

Other words from pillow

  • pil·low·less, adjective
  • pil·low·like, adjective
  • un·pil·lowed, adjective

Words that may be confused with pillow

Words Nearby pillow

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use pillow in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pillow

pillow

/ (ˈpɪləʊ) /


noun
  1. a cloth case stuffed with feathers, foam rubber, etc, used to support the head, esp during sleep

  2. Also called: cushion a padded cushion or board on which pillow lace is made

  1. anything like a pillow in shape or function

verb(tr)
  1. to rest (one's head) on or as if on a pillow

  2. to serve as a pillow for

Origin of pillow

1
Old English pylwe, from Latin pulvīnus cushion; compare German Pfühl

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012