bedtime story

noun

: a story read or recounted to someone (such as a child) at bedtime

Examples of bedtime story in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
His being here—scraping, sanding, painting, sitting across the table from us for dinner most nights—had been one of the joys of the past few weeks, a way of staving off the tension of moving and the sameness of the routine with the kids and the meals and the bedtime stories and all the rest. T. Coraghessan Boyle, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2025 Addario’s husband asks her to read a bedtime story to their young son. Addie Morfoot, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025 As a bedtime story, Demerzel tells Day of her past names, like Chetter, Daneel, and Eto. Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2025 There's a reason bedtime stories are a universal tradition; our brains are simply wired to respond to them. Julie Kratz, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bedtime story

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bedtime story was in 1868

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Cite this Entry

“Bedtime story.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bedtime%20story. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.

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