as in to wrap
to wrap (someone, especially a baby) tightly with a blanket, pieces of cloth, etc.
He swaddled the baby in a blanket.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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 swaddle
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
Rihanna broke the news in a sweet Instagram post, sharing an image of herself holding the infant, who is swaddled in a pink blanket.
—
Yi-Jin Yu,
ABC News,
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
See All Example Sentences for swaddle
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Apr. 2026
Rihanna broke the news in a sweet Instagram post, sharing an image of herself holding the infant, who is swaddled in a pink blanket.
—
Yi-Jin Yu,
ABC News,
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
See All Example Sentences for swaddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swaddle
Verb
-
This 12-inch pan is tri-ply, meaning an aluminum core is wrapped in dual layers of stainless steel.
-
Silky tannins are wrapped around flavors of blackberry, black currant, crushed violet petal, and cherry, with a closing note of clove.
Verb
-
On Sunday, the event saw hundreds milling about the convention center with red-on-white patterned scarves — the Shemagh, Jordan’s national headscarf — wrapped around their heads or draped by the hosts across the shoulders of guests as a gift to perfect strangers.
-
Sheer black outfits that looked pulled from the pages of a gothic romance novel were draped on bodies.
Cite this Entry
“Swaddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swaddle. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
