What does bedtime mean?
Bedtime is a noun referring to the habitual or agreed-upon hour at which a person goes to bed to sleep. It is most often used in everyday domestic contexts — parents set bedtimes for children, and adults speak of their own bedtime when describing nightly routines or apologizing for leaving an event early. The word also functions attributively in common phrases such as 'bedtime story', 'bedtime routine', and 'bedtime snack', where it describes things associated with the moments before sleep. Its connotations are warm and familial rather than clinical; formal writing about sleep tends to prefer terms like 'sleep onset' or 'sleep schedule'. Because it names a flexible personal habit rather than a fixed clock time, bedtime varies widely across cultures, ages, and households, making it a useful word in discussions of health, parenting, and daily rhythm.
nounThe customary or appointed time at which one goes to bed to sleep.
- The usual or designated hour for going to bed, especially for children.
- (Attributive) Relating to or suitable for the time just before sleep, as in 'bedtime story' or 'bedtime snack'.
"The children grumbled, but it was well past their bedtime."
"It's past your bedtime — turn off the light and go to sleep."
"She read a bedtime story to her daughter every night without fail."
The plural is used mainly when comparing different people's or occasions' sleeping hours, e.g. discussing varying bedtimes across age groups or households.
"Toddlers and teenagers rarely share compatible bedtimes."
Before electric light, 'bedtime' wasn't a choice — it tracked the sunset, which is why so many old idioms tie sleep to darkness rather than the clock.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bedtime
Bedtime is a straightforward English compound of 'bed' (from Old English 'bedd') and 'time' (from Old English 'tīma'), formed within English itself rather than borrowed from another language. Compounds of this kind became common in Middle English as speakers combined native words to name daily routines. It shares its first element with other native compounds such as bedside, bedchamber, and bedfellow, all built on the same Germanic root that also gives German 'Bett'.
How bedtime is actually used
Common in everyday and family contexts; often used attributively before nouns (bedtime routine, bedtime snack). Figuratively, 'it's past my bedtime' can be a lighthearted way of saying one is staying up later than usual.
Easily confused with bedtime
A deadline is a final limit for completing a task, while bedtime is simply the habitual hour for going to sleep — the two are unrelated in meaning despite both marking a cutoff point.