Word.ws English Dictionary

bedlock

UK/ˈbɛd.lɒk/

bedlock noun: a relationship where an unmarried couple shares a bed; cohabitation.

Noun

bedlock (uncountable)

  1. A relationship where an unmarried couple shares a bed; cohabitation.
    • He wants you an' me to fall dead in love, an' be j'ined in bedlock.1882, John Alonzo Clark, A Young Disciple, page 362
    • Not a single pleasure is risk-free; Who in his own wife's lap now lays a confident head? Neither in wedlock now nor in bedlock can we be.2005, David Luke, transl., Johann Wolfgang von Goethe – Selected Poetry, Penguin Classics, page 30

Origin of bedlock

Blend of bed + wedlock.

Questions about bedlock

What does bedlock mean?
Bedlock means a relationship where an unmarried couple shares a bed; cohabitation.
What part of speech is bedlock?
Bedlock is a noun.
How do you pronounce bedlock?
Bedlock is pronounced /ˈbɛd.lɒk/ (UK).

Words near bedlock in the dictionary

  1. Bedlington Terriers
  2. Bedlingtonshire
  3. Bedlinog
  4. bedload
  5. bedloads
  6. bedlock
  7. bedmaker
  8. bedmakers
  9. bedmaking
  10. BEDMAS
  11. bedmate

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: bedlock (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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