Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

shit the bed

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.93 in modern English

Syllables: shit the bed
IPA

19

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

1

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

Of a person or thing, to fail, often in a complete and irreparable fashion.

American usage; Slang

verb

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see shit, bed.

Example Sentences

"“[H]ow was I supposed to know Dan Marino would shit the bed and lose that game by nineteen points?”"
"“Yep, I totally shit the bed on that exam. Guess I'll be sticking around this place for another year.”"
"“We're almost ready. If the damn copier doesn't shit the bed, that is.”"

Usage

American usage
Slang

Inflected Forms

shits the bed (present, singular) shitting the bed (participle, present) shat the bed (participle, past) shat the bed (past)

Frequently Paired Words

shit one's pants

Synonyms

wet the bed

Questions

What does shit the bed mean?: Of a person or thing, to fail, often in a complete and irreparable fashion.

How to pronounce shit the bed

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “shit the bed”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “shit the bed” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.