A pillow is a large cushion support for the head or other parts of the body, usually used while sleeping in a bed, or for the body as used on a couch or chair. A pillow can be a cloth case stuffed with down, feathers, or foam rubber.

There are also throw pillows (also called toss pillows), which are pillows that are purely decorative and not designed for support or comfort. A cushion is a soft bag filled with air or padding like feathers or foam rubber. In the United Kingdom, these types of pillows are called a cushion, with the word pillow used for pillows on a bed. In Spanish, a pillow is called almohada.

The word pillow comes from Middle English pilwe, from Old English pyle (akin to Old High German pfuliwi) and from Latin pulvinus. The first known use of the word pillow was before 12th century.

Pillows were originally used mainly by wealthy men in Asia.^{[citation needed]} They were also found in Ancient Egyptian tombs.^{[citation needed]} The difficulty of sophisticated dyes and sewing techniques led to the development of pillows as an art form, with highly decorated pillows becoming prized commodities first in China and Persia and later in Medieval Europe. In Tudor England, pillows became widely-used; it was believed only women giving birth and weak men should use one. The Industrial Revolution saw the mass production of decorated textiles and decorated pillows. Traditional Chinese pillows are often hard boxes made from stone, wood, metal, or porcelain instead of stuffed fabric. Some ancient Egyptians slept on pillows made out of stone.^{[unreliable source?]}