cuddle

play

verb cud·dle \ ˈkə-dᵊl \

Definition of cuddle

cuddled; cuddling play \ˈkəd-liŋ, ˈkə-dᵊl-iŋ\

transitive verb

:to hold close for warmth or comfort or in affection

He cuddled the puppy.

intransitive verb

:to lie close or snug :nestle, snuggle

… dewy glens where couples cuddle on blankets …
—Bob Sipchen

—

cuddler

play \ˈkəd-lər, ˈkə-dᵊl-ər\ noun

See cuddle defined for English-language learners

See cuddle defined for kids

Examples of cuddle in a Sentence

Let's cuddle by the fire.
kittens cuddling in a basket

Recent Examples of cuddle from the Web

And much like their namesake song, the two animals lived together in perfect harmony, with Ebony spending her short time on earth cuddling and romping around with her tender rat nanny.

— saryn chorney, PEOPLE.com, "WATCH: Rats Are Employed as Loving Nannies for Orphan Kittens at New York Cat Cafe," 17 July 2017
Miami Valley Hospital has specific criteria for interested cuddling volunteers.

— miranda siwak, Good Housekeeping, "An Ohio Hospital Needs Volunteers to Cuddle Opioid-Addicted Babies," 12 July 2017
Liam Payne has been incredibly busy recently, from promoting his newest music to cuddling with his adorable baby.

— willa bennett, Seventeen, "Liam Payne Met the Queen and Everyone Thinks He Looked Like Harry Potter," 30 June 2017
In a photo made public by Pines police, Joy and her twin daughters Alexia and Kylie, 12, are seen cuddling Sassy outside the police department, as one of the twins cries and leans her head into Sassy’s side.

— martin vassolo, miamiherald, "Sassy the dog disappeared for five months. Cops found her 200 miles away in South Florida.," 29 June 2017
Tu-Tone is happiest around people and enjoys being held and cuddled.

— idahostatesman, "Ada County Pet of the Week: Tu-Tone," 27 June 2017
In the midst of that turbulence, parenting became a tranquil island: cuddling a baby on long walks, watching movies while Ripley dozed in a Pack ‘

— anndee hochman, Philly.com, "The Parent Trip: Sissy and Jon Gault of Spring City," 21 June 2017
Juji, who was not at the scene of the attack, is with him now, cuddling of course.

— lisa gutierrez, kansascity.com, "Artist who made Juji the dog a ‘giant’ Instagram star is trampled by a momma cow," 20 June 2017
Elsewhere, two teens girls in denim cut-offs asked their guardian to snap a shot of them cuddled up in Perry’s onetime bedroom for their Instagram pages.

— brad wete, Billboard, "Why Katy Perry's 'Witness' Pop-Up Embodies What Being a Fan Is All About," 16 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of cuddle

origin unknown

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1520

See Words from the same year

cuddle Synonyms

Synonyms

nuzzle, nestle, snoozle [chiefly dialect], snuggle

Related Words

curl up; crouch, huddle

Near Antonyms

blench, flinch, quail, recoil, shrink, shy, start, wince

cuddle

noun

Definition of cuddle

:a close embrace

Recent Examples of cuddle from the Web

Will Close Monday, With Discounts to Begin Then (CNBC) Justin Trudeau’s famous panda cuddle sculpted in butter (UPI)

— bess levin, The Hive, "Delusional White House Employee Still Thinks Mexico Might Pay for the Wall," 24 Aug. 2017
Though there were 10 of us packed into only a few hundred square feet — about the size of my sister's kitchen — everyone found a place to nap, cuddle with the kids or stare at the scenery.

— jim buchta, Detroit Free Press, "Family rafts down the Colorado River in Utah because Grandma Mary wanted to," 12 Aug. 2017
Though there were 10 of us packed into only a few hundred square feet — about the size of my sister’s kitchen — everyone found a place to nap, cuddle with the kids or stare at the scenery.

— jim buchta, chicagotribune.com, "Call of the Colorado River leads to a family pilgrimage," 11 Aug. 2017
A July 23 video from the People’s Daily, China confirmed there are people whose jobs at the Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwest China’s Sichuan Province are to dress up in panda suits and cuddle pandas.

— tess koman, Cosmopolitan, "Literally, I Am Not Joking, Here's How to Get Paid to Cuddle Pandas," 26 July 2017
Ever fancied having a cuddle with beloved England international, record Manchester United goalscorer and new Everton talisman, Wayne Rooney?

— SI.com, "Everton Forward Wayne Rooney Teams Up With Charity to Offer Hugs to Fans for £500," 19 July 2017
So get out those slip dresses, slap on those chokers, cuddle up in your pastel athleisure!

— lynn yaeger, Vogue, "9 Must-Try Summer Fashion Trends That Clueless Predicted," 19 July 2017
Of course, maximum cuddle time is high on that list (along with napping as much as possible while baby is sleeping).

— cheryl lock, USA TODAY, "Back to work: 5 things to do before your maternity leave ends," 23 June 2017
Basically every photo of Selena and The Weeknd gives us the feels, and this Coachella cuddle Gomez shared to her 122 million Instagram followers was no exception.

— jihan forbes, Allure, "The Best Selfies from 2017... So Far," 21 June 2017