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View synonyms for

pillow

[pil-oh]

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.

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

  4. 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.

  3. to serve as a pillow for.

    She pillowed the child with her body.

verb (used without object)

  1. to rest as on a pillow.

pillow

/ ˈɪəʊ /

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

  3. anything like a pillow in shape or function

“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

verb

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

  2. to serve as a pillow for

“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
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Other Word Forms

  • pillowless adjective
  • pillowlike adjective
  • unpillowed adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of pillow1

before 900; Middle English pilwe, Old English pylu < Latin ܱīԳܲ cushion (whence also German ʴü)
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Word History and Origins

Origin of pillow1

Old English pylwe, from Latin ܱīԳܲ cushion; compare German ʴü
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Synonym Study

See cushion.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Six of its campsites, each available to reserve through recreation.gov, offer yurts including queen beds with linens, down comforters and pillows, along with two nightstands and an oversized rug.

From

Instead, he has chosen to fight on, hawking pillows, sheets and slippers to pay his legal bills as he goes.

From

You don’t want to stick your head under a pillow and push down hard at night.

From

She described her living conditions, saying she shares a cell with five other women and sleeps on a thin mattress on the concrete floor, using whatever clothes she has as a pillow.

From

You know, it’s like that old stereotype of hiding your books under your pillow because you don’t want people to know you’re a reader?

From

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pillorypillow block