pillow

Pluralpillows

Formspillows, pillowing, pillowed

1. 1
   nouncountable or uncountable

   A soft cushion that holds up your head when you sleep in bed.

   Like a soft bag full of feathers that keeps your head comfy at night.

   She fluffed the pillow before lying down.

   He buried his face in the pillow and groaned.

   Similarcushion

   Note
2. 2
   nouncountable or uncountable

   Any kind of head rest used for sleeping, like a neck rest or a hard porcelain one.

   Like a head rest you can take anywhere, not just the one on your bed.

   Travelers often pack a small pillow to support the neck on long flights.

   In the museum, an old porcelain pillow showed how people once slept.

   Similarheadrest

3. 3
   verbtransitive

   To rest something softly, the way a head rests on a cushion.

   Like laying your head down softly on something gentle.

   I pillow my head on my arm when I nap on the couch.

   She pillowed her baby's head on a folded towel.

   Similarrest, cradle, cushion

   Note
4. 4
   nouncountable or uncountable

   A rounded lump of lava that forms when hot rock erupts under water and cools fast.

   Divers found a smooth lava pillow resting on the seabed.

   The old sea cliff was made of stacked lava pillows.

   Note
5. 5
   nouncountable or uncountable

   A block of metal or wood that holds something up and spreads out the pressure on it.

   The engineer bolted a pillow block to the frame to carry the spinning shaft.

   The old mill used wooden pillows to support the main shaft.

   Similarbearing

   Note
6. 6
   nouncountable or uncountable

   The hollow part that holds the turning end of a pin or pivot.

   The spindle's lower end turned smoothly in its pillow.

   Workers greased the metal pillows before fitting the pivots.

   Similarsocket

7. 7
   nouncountable or uncountable

   A block of wood that supports the inner end of a ship's bowsprit.

   Shipwrights set the bowsprit's heel onto a strong wooden pillow.

   The ship's old pillows had rotted and needed replacing.

   Note
8. 8
   noununcountable

   A plain, rough kind of thick cotton cloth.

   The tailor cut several yards of plain pillow for the lining.

   Her work dress was sewn from rough, sturdy pillow.

   Note

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