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

After seven years of trapping, swaddling, collaring and monitoring them in the Twin Cities, Miller doesn’t think his middle-school self was far off. —Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 21 Apr. 2026

Newborn babies at a Pittsburgh hospital were swaddled in Terrible Towels on Monday to celebrate the NFL draft coming to the city. —Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026

The beds, swaddled in Italian linens, were a jetlagged traveler’s dream and came framed in headboards in hazy ombres that matched the sunrise. —Adam Erace, Travel + Leisure, 17 Apr. 2026

There’s a memory foam insole to keep your feet swaddled in comfort, and the chunky heel offers some extra stability. —Rylee Johnston, PEOPLE, 12 Apr. 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