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 Unlike humans, digital creations don’t need to be pampered, fed or emotionally coddled. — Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 6 July 2026 They shouldn’t be coddled; instead, they should be challenged. — Candace Buckner, New York Times, 24 June 2026 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 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
  • Meghan shows a pot of berries boiling on the stove, and pans over to little Lilibet, wooden spoon in hand.
    — Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 6 Oct. 2026
  • In the end, director Duong, recognizing Aunt Hanh’s residual indignation, lances that boil.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of boil
Verb
  • Two-episode weeks spoil us, and then we’re left with the feeling that barely anything happened in one week.
    — Alice Burton, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Alongside Stonestreet’s return, Ritter is also back in the Dexter universe, but the cast and crew were more careful about not spoiling how.
    — Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of spoil
Verb
  • South Korean tech giant Samsung posted a third-quarter preliminary operating profit that exceeded 100 trillion won for the first time in its history, while Lululemon poached Athleta CEO Maggie Gauger.
    — Justina Lee, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic are competing directly against mathematicians (and poaching many of them) to quickly prove theorems, while putting little effort into writing clear papers to explain those results or put them in context.
    — Jordana Cepelewicz, Quanta Magazine, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of poach
Verb
  • His current employer is Damien Cantor, an authentically sleazy and slippery character who operates under no discernible code beyond indulging a dumb, preening narcissism.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2026
  • My daughter was enchanted by the Balinese rice-on-the-forehead ritual for good fortune that is a part of the arrival, and the front desk staff happily indulged her request to do it again—multiple times a day.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of indulge
Verb
  • The easygoing Mexican brunch, lunch and dinner spot became a Wesley Heights favorite for its authentic tacos, frozen drinks and stewed pork shoulder pozole rojo served with hominy, shredded cabbage, onions and cilantro over fresh tostadas.
    — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 9 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of stew
Verb
  • Dean Fryer, the restaurant’s namesake, nursed a pint outside while chatting with creative director Nicholas Blechman.
    — Leigh Nordstrom, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Jonathan Allen, a 10-year veteran who has contributed 12 tackles and two sacks in the season’s first four games, is nursing a knee injury that has kept him from participating in Cincinnati’s past two practices.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of nurse
Verb
  • Last week a group of district parents called for officers to be returned to campuses, reigniting a long-simmering debate about police patrols at Los Angeles Unified schools.
    — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The Earth Kingdom is very height of the Chinese bureaucracy-coded, for instance, while the Fire Nation simmers with the sharp industrialism of Imperial Japan.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of simmer
Verb
  • At one point luxury travel meant being able to be anywhere and have the comforts of your office—yachts and Aman resorts offer satellite service and Wi-Fi so that you can be pampered but still take a meeting or be active in the family group chat.
    — Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 12 Oct. 2026
  • For all its glamour, Concorde offered more prestige than pampering.
    — Robb Report, Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of pamper

Browse Nearby Words

codas
coddle
coddled
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Cite this Entry

“Coddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coddle. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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