make a bed—put a bed in order after it has been used; fit a bed with sheets and blankets so that it is ready to sleep in:
- A true nurse always knows how to make a bed, and always makes it herself.
make one’s bed—
1. = make a bed:
- I made my way back upstairs, made my bed and sat down to read some more.
2. suffer the consequences of one’s own actions (in allusion to the saying “make one’s bed and lie in it”):
- I also find it hard to feel sorry for Claudia because she has made her bed, so to speak.
See also: make down a bed / make up a bed.