swaddle

verb

swad·​dle ˈswä-dᵊl 

swaddled; swaddling

ˈswäd-liŋ, 

ˈswä-dᵊl-iŋ 

transitive verb

1

a

: to wrap (an infant) with swaddling clothes

b

: envelop, swathe

legs swaddled in bandages

2

: restrain, restrict

… marriage … swaddled him in a domesticity he came to loathe …

—Nina Auerbach

Examples of swaddle in a Sentence

He swaddled the baby in a blanket.

Recent Examples on the Web

Billionaires cajole us left and right to surrender our cognitive function for the sake of convenience; AI slop operas serve up easy dopamine; sycophantic chatbots swaddle us in cocoons of false certainty. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2026

The night nurse took over and taught him how to swaddle the baby, whose name was written on the dry-erase board across from the bed. — Téa Obreht, New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2026

The Gilded Age cast, who spend all season swaddled in copious layers of gorgeous but buttoned-up costumes, cast off their bonnets and went ultramodern for this event. — The Editors, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026

Pretty much any style that swaddles your natural hair can be considered protective; among the many cited by the experts are braids, twists, locs, crochet styles, sew-ins, Bantu knots, and wigs. — Eden Stuart, Allure, 26 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English swadelen, swathelen, probably alteration of swedelen, swethelen, from swethel swaddling band, from Old English; akin to Old English swathian to swathe

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for swaddle

• caudal
• caudle
• dawdle
• model
• twaddle
• waddle
• remodel

Kids Definition

swaddle

verb

swad·​dle ˈswäd-ᵊl 

swaddled; swaddling ˈswäd-liŋ 

-ᵊl-iŋ

: to wrap an infant with swaddling clothes