blanket

American  

[blang-kit] / ˈblæŋ kɪt /

noun

blankets plural

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

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

3. the chief garment traditionally worn by some American Indians.

4. any extended covering or layer.

   a blanket of snow.

   Synonyms:

   coating, overlay, mantel, coat, cover

5. Printing.

   1. (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.

   2. (in a press for letterpress printing) the resilient covering on the cylinder against which the paper is pressed in printing.

6. a thick roll or strip of material for thermal insulation.

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verb (used with object)

1. to cover with or as with a blanket.

   wild flowers blanketing the hillside.

2. to obscure or obstruct; interfere with; overpower (usually followed byout ).

   An electrical storm blanketed out the radio program.

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

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

adjective

1. covering or intended to cover a large group or class of things, conditions, situations, etc..

   a blanket proposal; a blanket indictment.

idioms

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

blanket British  

/ ˈblæŋkɪt /

noun

1. 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

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

3. 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

4. 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

5. (modifier) applying to or covering a wide group or variety of people, conditions, situations, etc

   blanket insurance against loss, injury, and theft

6. informal illegitimate

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verb

1. to cover with or as if with a blanket; overlie

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

3. (usually foll by out) to obscure or suppress

   the storm blanketed out the TV picture

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

blanket More Idioms  

1. see security blanket; wet blanket.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• blanketless
  adjective
• blanketlike
  adjective
• unblanketed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• blankets
  plural

Etymology

Origin of blanket

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

Explanation

A blanket is a large piece of material that keeps you warm when you're in bed or taking a nap on the couch. Many small children have a favorite blanket that provides not just warmth, but comfort. There is the knitted blanket on your bed, and then there's the blanket of snow that covers your yard in January. Any heavy layer can be described this way: "After a windy day, there was suddenly a blanket of leaves outside." You can use it as a verb, too: "The fog descended and began to blanket the whole town." The Old French root is blanchet, "light wool or flannel cloth," from blanc, "white" or "white cloth."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

blanket blankets

She was loaded into a crate with a blanket and brought to the center for initial care.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

That lets worthy projects proceed without shifting costs to existing ratepayers—something a blanket moratorium can’t do.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

He’s tiny and delicate, with a full head of black hair, sleeping, wrapped in a blanket printed sparingly with rubber ducks.

From Slate ● Jul. 19, 2026

"When I went to my first raid meetup it was like a warm blanket," he said.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

Avery helps herself to two pigs in a blanket and plops onto the edge of my bed, and I sit at my desk chair.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

In those days, there was a local committee seeking to get rid of kudzu, an invasive plant that blankets much of the rural South.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Those numbers are made real by the dozens of families around us who have no choice but to lie on blankets on the floor, in the hallway.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

A dangerous heat wave can put anyone at risk of dehydration and heatstroke, and that’s a major concern this week as extreme heat blankets much of the U.S.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

At one Paris school on Tuesday, parents taped survival blankets to windows to lower the temperature inside and pooled their money to buy shades for the playground.

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

Both men move purposefully, brushing the animals, covering them with blankets, feeding them hay and filling a bucket with water.

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Related Words

• carpet
• cloak
• coat
• coating
• comforter
• layer
• mat
• quilt
• rug
• sheet