cocoon

noun co·coon \ kə-ˈkün \

|Updated on: 7 Jun 2018

Examples: cocoon in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of cocoon

1 a : an envelope often largely of silk which an insect larva forms about itself and in which it passes the pupa stage

b : any of various other protective coverings produced by animals

2 a : something suggesting a cocoon especially in providing protection or in producing isolation

wrapped in a cocoon of blankets

an interest in the world beyond the everyday cocoon most of us construct
—Peter Mayle

b : a protective covering placed or sprayed over military or naval equipment in storage

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Examples of cocoon in a Sentence

The child was wrapped in a cocoon of blankets.
The movie star was surrounded by a protective cocoon of bodyguards.

Recent Examples of cocoon from the Web

My mother's condo and the surrounding community had become a comfortable cocoon.

— melanie p. merriman, courant.com, "My Aging Mom Didn't Want To Be A Burden. And That Was A Burden.," 30 May 2018
In this cerebral cocoon, Washington seems a world away.

— tunku varadarajan, WSJ, "A Conservative Economics of Dignity," 18 May 2018
Starting in the middle and working outward at equal intervals, the sticks create a mirrored cocoon effect that totally changes the shape of the space.

— liz stinson, Curbed, "An optical illusion turns plain room into a wooden cocoon," 11 May 2018
The company is working with more than 1,800 families, who grow mulberry bushes to feed the silkworms on 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) of land, producing at least 288,000 kg of cocoons to be exported to China each year, Mr. Wang said.

— ann wang, The Christian Science Monitor, "Myanmar's farmers shift from growing poppies to raising silkworms," 9 May 2018
My American friends assume Switzerland is a neutral, Nazi-gold-hoarding cocoon of chocolate-and-cheese-eating yodelers.

— adam h. graham, Condé Nast Traveler, "Plan a Trip to Zurich This Summer (Yes, Really)," 2 May 2018
Silk is made by silkworms for their cocoons and by spiders for their webs.

— angela chen, The Verge, "How scientists are engineering silk to save our bodies," 4 May 2018
Upon hatching, the caterpillars also munch on the plant before its time to cocoon and become a butterfly.

— ryan gillespie, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Central Florida community works to bring back monarch butterflies," 30 Apr. 2018
Timed right, visitors can watch as butterflies emerge from their cocoons; a viewing area is available outside the tent.

— ashley sloboda, The Seattle Times, "Butterfly exhibit takes wing at Fort Wayne conservatory," 21 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cocoon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of cocoon

French cocon, from Occitan coucoun, from coco shell, probably ultimately from Latin coccum kermes (thought to be a gall or berry), from Greek kokkos berry, kermes

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1679

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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cocoon Synonyms

Synonyms

armor, capsule, case, casing, cover, covering, encasement, housing, hull, husk, jacket, pod, sheath, shell;

Related Words

cartridge, cassette (also casette);

bark, crust;

carapace, house, mail, panoply, plate, plating, shield;

cuticle, hide, skin;

envelope, package, wrapper;

backing, coating, coverture, facing;

Other Insect Terms

drone, entomology, gadfly, pismire, proboscis, vespine

cocoon

verb

Definition of cocoon

cocooned; cocooning; cocoons

transitive verb

: to wrap or envelop in or as if in a cocoon

See cocoon defined for English-language learners

Examples of cocoon in a Sentence

Americans are spending more time cocooning at home in recent years.
cocooned in puffy down parkas, we braved the bitter cold as best we could

Recent Examples of cocoon from the Web

Courtney Barnett sings a lot of songs about cocooning with friends and just wanting to disappear.

— greg kot, chicagotribune.com, "Courtney Barnett delivers modest songs, bold solos at Cultural Center," 22 May 2018
Its millions of players sit cocooned in their bedrooms, bathed in the glow of verdant pixels, creating new Earths.

— nathaniel rich, The Atlantic, "The Novel That Asks, ‘What Went Wrong With Mankind?’," 11 May 2018
The wigs, along with the intricate cornrows and braids, formed part of a protective styling rotation which cocooned my gorgeously boisterous 4c texture hair.

— serena sonoma, Harper's BAZAAR, "How Black Trans Women Are Redefining Beauty Standards," 1 May 2018
One woman simply cocooned herself in bed for a week, blaming the flu.

— daniela blei, The Cut, "The History of Talking About Miscarriage," 23 Apr. 2018
In a Washington, D.C., house designed by Barry Dixon, flax curtains cocoon the bedroom and hide all the books.

— the editors at house beautiful, House Beautiful, "Top Pin of the Day: A Cozy Gray Bedroom," 15 Nov. 2013
The death of brick-and-mortar retail is something that Trump, a New York City native who has been safely cocooned from shopping malls his entire life, has never mentioned with regard to Amazon.

— alex shephard, The New Republic, "This is why Trump is “obsessed” with Amazon.," 28 Mar. 2018
There was no mystery in his end except the mysteries that always cocoon around death, things left unresolved.

— tyler malone, latimes.com, "Harry Mathews' posthumous novel 'The Solitary Twin' is a fascinating, discursive swan song that celebrates the power of stories," 23 Mar. 2018
Too often, both O’Connor’s and O’Malley’s characters are cocooned in their own consciousnesses, plowing along on tracks that never intersect.

— lily janiak, San Francisco Chronicle, "Not much counts in Aurora’s ‘Number’," 17 Mar. 2018

Did You Know?

Since at least 1679, English speakers have been using the noun "cocoon" for the silky covering that surrounds a caterpillar or other insect larva in the pupa stage of metamorphosis. The word came into English from French, which in turn borrowed it from an Occitan term for "eggshell." Linguists believe the Occitan term was probably born of the Latin coccum, a noun that has been translated as "kermes," the dried bodies of some insects that can be found on certain trees. The verb "cocoon" has been with us since at least 1881.

First Known Use of cocoon

1881

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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cocoon Synonyms

COCOON Defined for English Language Learners

cocoon

noun

Definition of cocoon for English Language Learners

: a covering usually made of silk which some insects (such as caterpillars) make around themselves to protect them while they grow
: something that covers or protects a person or thing