blanket

[ blang-kit ]

/ ˈblæŋ kɪt /

|||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR blanket ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a large, rectangular piece of soft fabric, often with bound edges, used especially for warmth as a bed covering.

a similar piece of fabric used as a covering for a horse, dog, etc.

the chief garment traditionally worn by some American Indians.

any extended covering or layer: a blanket of snow.

Printing.

(in a press for offset printing) the rubber-covered cylinder to which an inked impression is transferred from the plate for transfer directly to the paper.
(in a press for letterpress printing) the resilient covering on the cylinder against which the paper is pressed in printing.

a thick roll or strip of material for thermal insulation.

verb (used with object)

to cover with or as with a blanket: wild flowers blanketing the hillside.

to obscure or obstruct; interfere with; overpower (usually followed by out): An electrical storm blanketed out the radio program.

to toss (someone) in a blanket, as in fraternity hazing.

Nautical. (of a vessel) to take wind from the sails of (another vessel) by passing closely to windward.

adjective

covering or intended to cover a large group or class of things, conditions, situations, etc.: a blanket proposal; a blanket indictment.

Nearby words

blank slate, blank tape, blank verse, blank wall, blankbook, blanket, blanket bath, blanket bog, blanket chest, blanket finish, blanket roll

Idioms

born on the wrong side of the blanket, born out of wedlock.

Origin of blanket

1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French, equivalent to blanc white (see blank) + -et -et

SYNONYMS FOR blanket

4 cover, coat, mantle, overlay, coating.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR blanket ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

blan·ket·less, adjectiveblan·ket·like, adjectiveun·blan·ket·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for blanket

Aside from a blanket ban, social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit are nearly impossible to control.
China’s Internet Is Freer Than You Think|Brendon Hong|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“He would have preferred to have been given a bed rather than a blanket on the floor,” the judge said.
What It’s Like to Be Snatched by the Delta Force|Michael Daly|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The correct procedure in that case is obvious: you cover her with a blanket and leave her alone.
‘The Fappening’ Perpetuators Have a J.Law Come-to-Jesus Moment and ‘Cower With Shame’|Marlow Stern|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Cameron said he was rejecting calls for “sweeping and blanket” new laws.
David Cameron's Plan to Fight ISIS Will Likely Involve Racial Profiling|Clive Irving|September 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

I had to do three scenes for the audition: the blanket scene where she says, “You pimped me out for a blanket?”
Orange Is the New Black’s Kimiko Glenn on Hippie Brook Soso and Chapel Sex with Natasha Lyonne|Marlow Stern|June 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Rebel soldier had stolen his coat, and he had no blanket to protect him from the cold night-winds.
Winning His Way|Charles Carleton Coffin
He went on, still grunting, while Dan rose to his feet and slung his blanket from his shoulder.
The Battle Ground|Ellen Glasgow
All this in smothered tones, as if the speaker was shut up in a cupboard with a blanket over his head.
Cutlass and Cudgel|George Manville Fenn
I drew the blanket over the face, and then locking the door behind me, went back to my own cabin to think it all out.
The Beautiful White Devil|Guy Boothby
Her hands and arms were enfolded in the blanket, and she was unable to make anything like effective resistance.
Frank Merriwell's Pursuit|Burt L. Standish

British Dictionary definitions for blanket

blanket

/ (ˈblæŋkɪt) /

noun

a large piece of thick cloth for use as a bed covering, animal covering, etc, enabling a person or animal to retain natural body heat

a concealing cover or layer, as of smoke, leaves, or snow

a rubber or plastic sheet wrapped round a cylinder, used in offset printing to transfer the image from the plate, stone, or forme to the paper

physics a layer of a fertile substance placed round the core of a nuclear reactor as a reflector or absorber and often to breed new fissionable fuel

(modifier) applying to or covering a wide group or variety of people, conditions, situations, etcblanket insurance against loss, injury, and theft

born on the wrong side of the blanket informal illegitimate

verb (tr)

to cover with or as if with a blanket; overlie

to cover a very wide area, as in a publicity campaign; give blanket coverage

(usually foll by out) to obscure or suppressthe storm blanketed out the TV picture

nautical to prevent wind from reaching the sails of (another sailing vessel) by passing to windward of it

Word Origin for blanket

C13: from Old French blancquete, from blanc; see blank

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with blanket

blanket

see security blanket; wet blanket.