self-soothe
Americanverb (used without object)
-
(of an infant or child) to stop fussing or crying, especially at naptime or bedtime, without receiving comfort from a parent or other caregiver.
Don’t expect all babies to self-soothe as readily as this little sweetheart.
-
to comfort oneself when experiencing sadness or distress.
I need to go home and self-soothe with a comfy blanket and a large glass of wine.
Etymology
Origin of self-soothe
First recorded in 1980–85; self- ( def. ) + soothe ( def. )
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.
Sleep training can mean slightly different things to different people, though generally it involves letting the baby cry without rocking or comforting them so that they can, ideally, learn to self-soothe.
From Slate ● May 3, 2026
I was an angry child and had to self-soothe a lot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 16, 2025
If you have the internal resources available and feel safe enough to self-soothe and stay professional, fauxitude can make you a compassionate advocate for your own inclusion.
From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2025
Deep breath in, slow breath out… Isn't it odd that we can self-soothe by slowing down our breathing?
From Science Daily ● Nov. 19, 2024
While some people perfected their sourdough or TikToks during the pandemic, I took everything out on my face, obsessively picking apart my appearance to self-soothe through the months of blinding sameness.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2023
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
