cot

cot — noun

1. a bed with raised sides made for an infant or small child, designed to keep them

1.nounA2
Definition

a bed with raised sides made for an infant or small child, designed to keep them safely inside during sleep

Example

Sivan has just moved from her cot to a proper bed.

moved from cot to a proper bed (growing up)

Ava lowered the side of the cot to lift her sleepy daughter out.

lowered the side of the cot

Common collocations
  • cot mattress
  • cot bumper
  • cot mobile
  • travel cot
  • cot sheet
Synonyms
  • crib

    the standard American English term for the same piece of furniture

  • bassinet

    a smaller, portable baby bed used for newborns only, unlike a cot which lasts until toddlerhood

Usage Note

In American English, this type of bed is called a crib rather than a cot. See also the similar 'travel cot' which folds for portability.

Common Mistakes

The baby slept in a camp cot' (when meaning a baby bed).
The baby slept in her cot.
A camp cot (or folding cot) is a different type of bed for adults, not suitable for a baby.

2. a lightweight bed made of a fabric sling stretched across a foldable metal or wo

2.nounB1
Definition

a lightweight bed made of a fabric sling stretched across a foldable metal or wooden frame, used for camping, in hospitals, or as a spare bed indoors

Example

Vikram unfolded his cot and placed it next to the tent wall.

unfolded his cot (collocation for setting up)

The hospital stored rows of empty cots in the basement for emergencies.

rows of empty cots (hospital context)

Common collocations
  • folding cot
  • canvas cot
  • camp cot
  • cot frame
  • sleep on a cot
  • unfold a cot
Synonyms
  • camp bed

    a close synonym in British English; sometimes implies a more solid frame than a cot

  • army cot

    specifically a military-issue folding cot, usually with a metal frame and green canvas

Usage Note

Unlike a camp bed (which often has a solid frame), a cot typically has fabric stretched between the frame rails. This sense is used in both British and American English without variety restriction.

Common Mistakes

I put the baby in the cot' (when you mean the baby bed).
I unfolded the cot for our guest.
In American English 'cot' always means a folding bed; use 'crib' for the baby bed.

3. a simple, narrow single bed without much padding, found in places where space is

3.nounB2
Definition

a simple, narrow single bed without much padding, found in places where space is tight such as a dormitory, ship cabin, or hostel

Example

The student lay on the narrow cot in her dorm room and read a book.

narrow cot in a dorm room

Each ship cabin had two narrow cots fixed to the wall, one above the other.

cots built into the wall (ship context)

Common collocations
  • narrow cot
  • thin cot
  • cot in a dormitory
  • ship cot
Synonyms
  • bunk

    a bed built into a wall, often stacked; 'bunk' implies a fixed structure, whereas 'cot' may be movable

Usage Note

This sense overlaps with sense 2 (folding bed), but emphasises the narrowness and simplicity of the bed rather than its foldability. More common in British English than American.

cot — abbreviation

Word family

  • cotangent
    nounC2
  • cot death
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words relate to baby furniture, but they differ in age range and purpose. A cot (British) or crib (American) is a fixed bed with high sides for a baby from birth to about age two or three. A bassinet is a smaller, portable basket-like bed for newborns only — babies typically outgrow it by three to six months. A playpen is not a bed at all: it is a enclosed play area with a padded floor where a baby or toddler can safely play while caregivers are nearby. While a cot and a bassinet are for sleeping, a playpen is for supervised daytime activity. For example: 'The newborn slept in a bassinet next to the bed, but by six months she needed a full cot.'

cot ↗crib ↗bassinetplaypen

Common collocations

Nouns

  • cot mattress
  • cot sheet
  • cot frame
  • cot rail

Phrases

  • sleep in a cot
  • lie on a cot
  • fold up a cot
  • set up a cot

Prepositions

  • in a cot
  • on a cot

Etymology

SanskritPrakritHindi-UrduEnglish

The word 'cot' in its folding-bed sense entered English from Hindi/Urdu 'khāt' (खाट/خٹ), meaning a light frame bed or string bed. British soldiers in colonial India adopted the term for the folding canvas beds they used on campaign, and the word spread into general British English. The baby-bed sense developed later as a distinct meaning. The mathematical abbreviation 'cot' for cotangent comes from the Latin 'cotangens', a contraction of 'complementi tangens' (tangent of the complement).