Meanings
nounMurphy bed (plural Murphy beds)
plural Murphy beds
- CanadaUSA light type of bed designed to be folded up or swung into a wall or closet for storage when not in use.First known use 20th c.
We lived in just one room with a Murphy bed and a kitchen that looked out on the alley.
2021, Rickie Lee Jones, Last Chance Texaco, Grove Press, published 2022, page 104
Origin
From inventor William L. Murphy + bed.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic سرير مورفي
- سرير مورفيbed that folds up into the wall
Dutch opklapbed
- opklapbedbed that folds up into the wall
French lit escamotable
- lit escamotablebed that folds up into the wall
German Schrankbett
- Schrankbettbed that folds up into the wall
Hebrew מיטת קיר
- מיטת קירbed that folds up into the wall
Icelandic skáprúm
- skáprúmbed that folds up into the wall
Italian letto a scomparsa
- letto a scomparsabed that folds up into the wall
Polish składane łóżko
- składane łóżkobed that folds up into the wall
Portuguese cama retrátil
- cama retrátilbed that folds up into the wall
Romanian pat rabatabil
- pat rabatabilbed that folds up into the wall
Russian складна́я кровать
- складна́я кровать (skladnája krovatʹ)bed that folds up into the wall
Spanish cama abatible, cama plegable
- cama abatiblebed that folds up into the wall
- cama plegablebed that folds up into the wall
Cite this entry
APA
Murphy bed. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Murphy%20bed
MLA
“Murphy bed.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Murphy%20bed. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Murphy bed,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Murphy%20bed.
Source: Murphy bed on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.