swaddle

verb

swad·​dle ˈswä-dᵊl 

swaddled; swaddling

ˈswäd-liŋ,

ˈswä-dᵊl-iŋ 

transitive verb

1

a

: to wrap (an infant) with swaddling clothes

b

: envelop, swathe

legs swaddled in bandages

2

: restrain, restrict

marriage … swaddled him in a domesticity he came to loathe

—Nina Auerbach

Examples of swaddle in a Sentence

He swaddled the baby in a blanket.

Recent Examples on the Web

The second image included a sleeping Carter, while the final photo was of the newborn baby smiling as she was swaddled in a floral blanket. —Charna Flam, People.com, 15 Jan. 2025

But what intrigues me the most is that unlike most superyachts that can only accommodate 12 guests per charter, Renaissance has been designed to swaddle 36 guests in superyacht luxury. —Bill Springer, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024

Parents can greatly benefit from having several different baby blankets to swaddle their little one in. —Ashlyn Messier, Fox News, 6 Dec. 2024

My biggest quandary is whether to order it as a plate, which comes with small flour tortillas, a plate of creamy refried beans and an all-access pass to the salsa bar, or swaddled in a giant, chewy flour tortilla as a burrito. —Felicia Campbell, The Arizona Republic, 24 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English swadelen, swathelen, probably alteration of swedelen, swethelen, from swethel swaddling band, from Old English; akin to Old English swathian to swathe

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

swaddle

verb

swad·​dle ˈswäd-ᵊl 

swaddled; swaddling ˈswäd-liŋ 

-ᵊl-iŋ

: to wrap an infant with swaddling clothes