English Dictionary

FEATHERBED (featherbedded, featherbedding)

Pronunciation (US): Play  (GB): Play

IPA (US): 

Irregular inflected forms: featherbedded  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation, featherbedding  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation

 Dictionary entry overview: What does featherbed mean? 

FEATHERBED (noun)
  The noun FEATHERBED has 1 sense:

1. a mattress stuffed with feathersplay

  Familiarity information: FEATHERBED used as a noun is very rare.


FEATHERBED (verb)
  The verb FEATHERBED has 2 senses:

1. treat with excessive indulgenceplay

2. hire more workers than are necessaryplay

  Familiarity information: FEATHERBED used as a verb is rare.


 Dictionary entry details 


FEATHERBED (noun)


Sense 1

Meaning:

A mattress stuffed with feathers

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

feather bed; featherbed

Hypernyms ("featherbed" is a kind of...):

mattress (a large thick pad filled with resilient material and often incorporating coiled springs, used as a bed or part of a bed)


FEATHERBED (verb)

 Conjugation: 
Present simple: I / you / we / they featherbed  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation ... he / she / it featherbeds  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation
Past simple: featherbedded  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation
Past participle: featherbedded  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation
-ing form: featherbedding  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation


Sense 1

Meaning:

Treat with excessive indulgence

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

baby; cocker; coddle; cosset; featherbed; indulge; mollycoddle; pamper; spoil

Context example:

Let's not mollycoddle our students!

Hypernyms (to "featherbed" is one way to...):

do by; handle; treat (interact in a certain way)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody


Sense 2

Meaning:

Hire more workers than are necessary

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "featherbed" is one way to...):

employ; engage; hire (engage or hire for work)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s


 Context examples 


She caught endless colds sitting on damp grass to book 'a delicious bit', composed of a stone, a stump, one mushroom, and a broken mullein stalk, or 'a heavenly mass of clouds', that looked like a choice display of featherbeds when done.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)



 Learn English with... Proverbs 
"You can't have your cake and eat it too." (English proverb)

"A man who would not love his father's grave is worse than a wild animal." (Native American quotes, Chief Joseph, Nez Perce)

"Seek education even if it takes you to China." (Arabic proverb)

"As there is Easter, so there are meager times." (Corsican proverb)



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