cuddle
Americanverb (used with object)
-
cuddles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
cuddled,
past participle, past
-
cuddling
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
cuddles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
cuddled,
past participle, past
-
cuddling
present participle
-
to lie close and snug; nestle.
-
to curl up in going to sleep.
noun
-
cuddles
plural
verb
-
to hold (another person or thing) close or (of two people, etc) to hold each other close, as for affection, comfort, or warmth; embrace; hug
-
to curl or snuggle up into a comfortable or warm position
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
cuddlesimple
-
cuddlessimple
-
have cuddledperfect
-
has cuddledperfect
-
am cuddlingprogressive
-
are cuddlingprogressive
-
is cuddlingprogressive
-
have been cuddlingperfect progressive
-
has been cuddlingperfect progressive
Past
-
cuddledsimple
-
had cuddledperfect
-
was cuddlingprogressive
-
were cuddlingprogressive
-
had been cuddlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of cuddle
1510–20; perhaps back formation from Middle English cudliche intimate, affectionate, Old English cūthlīc, or from Middle English cuthlechen, Old English cūthlǣcan to make friends with; see couth 2, -ly
Explanation
To cuddle is to embrace in a loving, affectionate way. If you're having a terrible day, you probably wish you could just go home, get in bed, and cuddle with your cat. Cuddle might come from the Middle English couth, "known" — after all, you only cuddle with those you know. Or, cuddle may have started as baby talk that caught on. When you cuddle, you give a snuggly hug to make yourself or another person feel loved or comforted. As a noun, cuddle describes the time of the embrace, like having one last cuddle before leaving for a long trip.
Vocabulary lists containing cuddle
Love Letter Words for Valentine's Day
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But a 5-year-old can’t cuddle a compound-interest chart.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
Dudamel joins him with his music box, and, sheepishly trying not to look embarrassed, they cutely cuddle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026
Some humans want to hurt you, and others want to crowd, cage, and cuddle you—when what you really need is just grass, mud, clean water, and a little space.
From Slate ● May 27, 2026
"It was so hard to comfort him, I wanted to cuddle him but it would cause him too much pain," she said.
From BBC ● May 11, 2026
“True. But I can’t cuddle and love pizza, either.”
From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King
She cuddles next to me when I’m sick and sits on my chest when I cry.
From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2025
“Lots of cuddles, silence and hugs,” said Marcovitz.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2025
This is all so he can coddle his sulky, wild teenage son while expecting Carrie to limit all extracurricular cuddles to her adopted kitty, Shoe.
From Salon ● May 29, 2025
Ms Cappé described Rillette - whom she cuddles and strokes - as her "best friend".
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2025
Woo cuddles up in between us and is rewarded with some head scritches from Autumn.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
The Prince of Wales posed for selfies with locals, cuddled a baby, and planted new trees during a visit to Paqueta, an island a ferry away from Rio de Janeiro.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2025
A new study -- published in the Human-Animal Interactions journal -- reveals that cows who are cuddled as therapy animals showed a strong preference for interactions with women when compared to men.
From Science Daily ● May 22, 2024
While Keegan and Brian browsed vendor booths, Juliet stayed safely cuddled in her mother’s arms, sporting a T-shirt that read: “Trans Rights are Human Rights.”
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 16, 2023
Parker nodded toward the second-story window, where they could see Hazel and Sophie cuddled up with the nanny.
From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2023
I bolt up from the massive tree root I’m cuddled against.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
A video posted by a Tamil film star showing him cuddling an endangered gibbon has triggered an investigation by Indian wildlife officials over how he came into contact with the animal.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
That’s part of the film’s genius, something that was difficult to see 25 years ago, when the most intimate relationship most people had with technology was cuddling up with their TiVo every night.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
In her introduction, she — horrors! — makes his smoothie with the wrong milk and, a beat later, insists on cuddling the cat on their leather sofa.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2025
Since the elevators can be slow, staff spend a decent amount of time absorbed in the daily rhythms of Claude, who likes cuddling with snapping turtles and holding his own hand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2025
He rushes to the living room to wake up Mami and Papi, cuddling with them on the sofa bed until they’re ready to get up.
From "Lucky Broken Girl" by Ruth Behar
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
