coddle

verb

ˈkä-dᵊl How to pronounce coddle (audio)
Definition of coddlenext
1
as in to boil
to cook in a liquid heated to the point that it gives off steam a hearty, traditional breakfast that included coddled eggs

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to spoil
to treat with great or excessive care accused the judiciary of coddling criminals

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 coddle This lifestyle caused many citizens to accuse the military of coddling the enemy. — Helaine Williams, Arkansas Online, 20 June 2026 She has been coddled and cloistered within her city, but the spreading vegetation interferes with that way of life. — Hannah Gold, New Yorker, 17 June 2026 Still, James Bond media can't coddle our fears. — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 1 June 2026 Viewed harshly, Hacks is less a great Hollywood comedy than a deeply coddling fantasy, but there’s also a softer, more interesting way to read it. — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for coddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coddle
  1. boil
  2. spoil
  3. poach
  4. indulge
  5. stew
  6. nurse
  7. simmer
  8. pamper
Verb
  • Just boiling things down to that, and to the voice and the lip sync is painstaking.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026
  • While waiting for the water to boil, shuck the corn and discard the husks.
    — Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of boil
Verb
  • This happens when the fruit is left on the ground too long and begins to spoil.
    — SJ McShane, Martha Stewart, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Food spoiled during the outage, and the family temporarily relocated to Lucky’s mother’s home.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of spoil
Verb
  • The number of bears killed by motor vehicle strikes, euthanized as nuisances because of conflicts with humans or poached in the Central Florida region over the past decade total about 1,900.
    — Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Some pessimists think Chalamet may be vulnerable to poaching given recent headlines, but others reject the idea.
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of poach
Verb
  • Mid-month, however, encourages you to indulge your creativity, rather than forcing big decisions.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Ferdinand, 84, can indulge his sweet tooth now that his sense of taste has returned after chemotherapy.
    — Michael Collins, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of indulge
Verb
  • Others are stewed with aromatics and oil to make a riotous take on XO sauce, funky and inky and complex, which gilds the hunks of squash under their corny beurre blanc.
    — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Idda takes an epic approach to unearthing the packed layers of a stewing friendship.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 21 July 2026
Definition of stew
Verb
  • Scott had similarly worked with Flynn and Colman before, as well as Billie Piper, who’s magnetic as the famed casting director Patsy Pollack, who nursed Charleson in his last days.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026
  • By the end of the round, Hrgović was nursing a cut above his right eyebrow — a worrying sign for a man whose June 2024 fight against Daniel Dubois was stopped because of cuts above both his eyebrows.
    — Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of nurse
Verb
  • The pasta is impossibly fresh, the ragùs are slow-simmered and soulful, and the veal is so tender that it can be cut with a spoon.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Sep. 2026
  • During Wallace and Shakur’s own rift, Knight and Combs’ own cold war simmered and ran even hotter than many initially believed.
    — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of simmer
Verb
  • The unlicensed recovery center underworld ranges from places that pamper patients with space and very personal care by licensed medical professionals to places that cram patients into spaces minded by people with limited or no medical training.
    — DAVID J. NEAL, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Ask For An Upgrade Moreso than most other vacation stays, all-inclusive resorts exist to pamper their guests.
    — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of pamper

Browse Nearby Words

codas
coddle
coddled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Coddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coddle. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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