security blanket

American  

noun

1. a blanket or other familiar item carried especially by a young child to provide reassurance and a feeling of psychological security.

2. someone or something that gives a person a sense of protection or a feeling of security.

   His wealthy uncle is his security blanket.

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security blanket British  

noun

1. a policy of temporary secrecy by police or those in charge of security, in order to protect a person, place, etc, threatened with danger, from further risk

2. a baby's blanket, soft toy, etc, to which a baby or young child becomes very attached, using it as a comforter

3. informal anything used or thought of as providing reassurance

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security blanket Idioms  

1. Something that dispels anxiety, as in I always carry my appointments calendar; it's my security blanket. This colloquial term, dating from about 1960, was at first (and still is) used for the blanket or toy or other object held by a young child to reduce anxiety.

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Etymology

Origin of security blanket

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Thompson: It was a security blanket, isn’t it?

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 29, 2026

The Hurricanes punished him all night, sometimes legally, sometimes questionably, but he stayed composed, turning to unheralded receiver Charlie Becker as a security blanket.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026

While premiums have gone up in recent years, and coverage maxes out at $250,000, the program still constitutes a security blanket on Florida’s Gulf Coast, where coverage rates are high.

From Slate • Oct. 9, 2024

Perhaps it would have turned out differently if Mahomes had Kelce, his All-Pro tight end and sure-handed security blanket, who missed the game after hyperextending his knee in practice two days earlier.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 8, 2023

“Ah yes. Like a security blanket, Amelia was using her noise-canceling headphones to soothe her sound sensitivity, making her social isolation worse.”

From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari