as in to spoil
to treat with great or excessive care
the college president is a past master at dandling wealthy alumni
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Recent Examples of dandle
The tale is pilfered from the Aeneid, but Virgil would blench to see the curtain rise on Jupiter, dandling Ganymede, a beautiful boy, upon his knee.
—
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
An hour later, Musk took X to New York and dandled him on his knee while being photographed for Time.
—Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023
Vet emailed me a photo of Sly contentedly dandling a grandson in his lap.
—David Kamp, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
The day after the election, Taaz Robinson, a fellow third-year, posted a picture on Buckingham’s Facebook page of Donald Trump as an infant being dandled by Vladimir Putin.
—Tara Bahrampour, Washington Post, 12 Oct. 2017
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
An hour later, Musk took X to New York and dandled him on his knee while being photographed for Time.
—Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023
Vet emailed me a photo of Sly contentedly dandling a grandson in his lap.
—David Kamp, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
The day after the election, Taaz Robinson, a fellow third-year, posted a picture on Buckingham’s Facebook page of Donald Trump as an infant being dandled by Vladimir Putin.
—Tara Bahrampour, Washington Post, 12 Oct. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dandle
Verb
-
We’ve been spoiled in recent years.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
11 Mar. 2026
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Unplugging these large appliances risks spoiling everything inside.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Other factors include minimum wage hikes that raised expenses for lower-wage workers, including nursing home employees and home health aides.—
Ken Alltucker,
USA Today,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Every hockey player is nursing bumps and bruises at this time of year but all of McAvoy’s have seemingly been directly to his face.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The brothers were each two years apart in age, but younger siblings were never babied; Nick recalled being on the receiving end of numerous pummelings by his older brothers.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
30 Jan. 2026
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Each new piece was crafted to be simple, functional, and beautiful, giving parents peace of mind and babies a nurturing space to grow.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Chris is a freelance journalist who, when not writing, skywatching or playing games, indulges his taste for horror, sci-fi and the post-apocalyptic.—
Chris McMullen,
Space.com,
6 Mar. 2026
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The elder Junod gave off mixed messages, abusing his long-suffering wife while indulging his gifted son.—
Hamilton Cain,
Time,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One way to combat that, as a gardener, is to start plants by seed instead of buying plants that someone else has started, watered and mothered for months.—
Henry Homeyer,
The Providence Journal,
13 Mar. 2026
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Barrington Elementary For more than a decade, Claudia Lopez joined other Barrington Elementary School mothers to cook a meal of turkey, potato salad, mashed potatoes, cornbread and chocoflan for Thanksgiving.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Leisure bred laziness; coddling meant spoiling.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Increasingly, schools in California excessively coddle students by neglecting to impose penalties for late work, eliminating the possibility for a failing grade, and unlimited opportunities to redo exams and assignments.—
Rafael Perez,
Oc Register,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Guests are pampered in personal huts that provide the utmost in privacy and silence and can choose from a full menu of options, including massages and facials that highlight local traditions and skin-healthy ingredients.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 Mar. 2026
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They should not be pampered more; they should be pushed more.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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On the first floor are some of the swishest quarters, with large rooms that benefit from floor-to-ceiling sash windows framed with thick, fringed curtains, original cornicing, cosseting color schemes of blue and rust, and large, comfy lounge areas with plenty of space to stretch out.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Bonds form with attendants who cosset customers for generations.—
Tom Sietsema,
Washington Post,
17 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dandle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dandle. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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