1
as in birthplace
a place of origin
Philadelphia is known as "the cradle of liberty" because it was there that the Declaration of Independence was signed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in source
a point or place at which something is invented or provided
the 1848 meeting at Seneca Falls, New York, is often regarded as the cradle of the women's suffrage movement
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
2
as in to mother
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cradle
Outside, 9 Dec. 2025
Researchers said a new cradle-to-career data system could improve tracking across institutions.
—Cathie Anderson
updated December 4, Sacbee.com, 4 Dec. 2025
Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 7 Sep. 2025
They’re made with real leather and are cushioned to cradle your foot.
—Christopher Murray
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cradle
Noun
Side walls in the rear of the shoe create a nice cradle for the heel.
—Outside, 9 Dec. 2025
Researchers said a new cradle-to-career data system could improve tracking across institutions.
—Cathie Anderson
updated December 4, Sacbee.com, 4 Dec. 2025
Verb
These orthotic-rivaling insoles offer several benefits and are strategically designed to cradle your feet.
—Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 7 Sep. 2025
They’re made with real leather and are cushioned to cradle your foot.
—Christopher Murray
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cradle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cradle
Noun
-
Blake’s birthplace at 28 Broad Street has been obliterated by a brown granite tower, a monument to the worldview of the City of Westminster’s postwar planning department, but his influence is everywhere in the other London.—
Hari Kunzru,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Webb pinpointed the inner disk — roughly where Earth and the inner planets would have formed in our solar system — as the birthplace of these crystals.—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Transportation will determine whether White Stadium functions as a community asset or becomes a recurring source of congestion, neighborhood disruption, and political backlash.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Earlier in the season, there was a minor controversy over whether the film’s changes to the source material — making its hero less explicitly racist and less complicit in the victimization of a Chinese laborer — sanded down the tale’s rough edges.—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The cop in front of her touched her wrist, the mustached one clamped a hand on her shoulder, and the one to her right grabbed her sleeve.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The clamping system is currently being prepared for patenting, with a view to adoption in future fusion power-plant designs beyond the STEP program.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
During the foster season, officials move captive pups into existing litters where they can be mothered by wild wolves.—
Sarah Henry,
AZCentral.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Every memory holding the sum of us—not me alone, but a nesting doll of memories, proof that someone in the world once mothered us, even if that mothering had to come from only ourselves.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Maybe another working definition of folklore is a narrative with relatively wide acceptance but no clear origin.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Yet the primary data required for compliance—fiber origin, material composition, chemical inputs—are generated and held upstream by suppliers and processors.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Climate experts have warned that the extreme conditions gripping southeastern Australia are a public health emergency driven by the burning of fossil fuels.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Your greatest challenge this year lies in navigating emotional security without gripping too tightly.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But my next words slipped soundlessly to the ground before the yellow vinyl material, like the final sprays of a park fountain at closing time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The Cotton Exchange has fanciful touches on the exterior, including faux columns and balustrades, and a fountain at the front of the building, dominated by a gryphon, a mythic creature that is part lion, part eagle.—
Jim Halley,
AJC.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Most notably, the Sabres held on when the ice was tilted in their direction clinging to a one-goal lead in the third period.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Wendell Cruz / Imagn Images The Buffalo Sabres were clinging to a 3-2 lead with just over five minutes to play against the New York Rangers when Peyton Krebs took a careless high-sticking penalty.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cradle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cradle. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
