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.
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Recent Examples of swaddle
As deaf servant Firs, Howard Swain swaddles the whole clan in a delicate, threadbare gauze.
—
Theater Critic, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Feb. 2026
There’s a photo of me as a baby swaddled in a bath towel, in her partner Lynn’s lap on the rocky beach.
—Hazlitt, 4 Feb. 2026
Fourteen hours later, Tariq was brought to his autopsy swaddled in his blue blanket, with an identification tag fixed around his right ankle.
—Ben Taub, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
Arguably one of the most memorable campaigns of the last decade came courtesy of Jonathan Anderson, who cast 88-year-old Dame Maggie Smith in a Loewe ad, the late legendary actor swaddled in a multi-colored faux fur coat, clutching a Puzzle bag.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for swaddle
Theater Critic, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Feb. 2026
There’s a photo of me as a baby swaddled in a bath towel, in her partner Lynn’s lap on the rocky beach.
—Hazlitt, 4 Feb. 2026
Fourteen hours later, Tariq was brought to his autopsy swaddled in his blue blanket, with an identification tag fixed around his right ankle.
—Ben Taub, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
Arguably one of the most memorable campaigns of the last decade came courtesy of Jonathan Anderson, who cast 88-year-old Dame Maggie Smith in a Loewe ad, the late legendary actor swaddled in a multi-colored faux fur coat, clutching a Puzzle bag.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for swaddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swaddle
Verb
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Another young girl, Maria Antonia’s best friend, leaps out of her desk to wrap her arms around her.—
Mica Rosenberg,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
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Cardi stands on the edge of the room as the women straddle chairs backward, tightening their core muscles and wrapping their ankles around the back in order to control their slow descent to the ground.—
Jazmine Hughes,
Allure,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Benedikt Althaus, who goes by Xariif, wore a tiger fursuit draped in red, white and blue stripes and splotches, reminiscent of the American flag.—
Jessica Ma,
Dallas Morning News,
29 Mar. 2026
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Fencing draped with blue tarps has been set up in front of the lifeguard station, with a gap in the fence allowing access to its entrance.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swaddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swaddle. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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