snuggle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
snuggles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
snuggled,
past participle, past
-
snuggling
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
snuggles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
snuggled,
past participle, past
-
snuggling
present participle
noun
verb phrase
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
snugglesimple
-
snugglessimple
-
have snuggledperfect
-
has snuggledperfect
-
am snugglingprogressive
-
are snugglingprogressive
-
is snugglingprogressive
-
have been snugglingperfect progressive
-
has been snugglingperfect progressive
Past
-
snuggledsimple
-
had snuggledperfect
-
was snugglingprogressive
-
were snugglingprogressive
-
had been snugglingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of snuggle
Explanation
To snuggle is to cuddle with someone. Snuggling is a little like hugging, and it often takes place in bed. This is a cutesy word for cute behavior: nestling or nuzzling someone. People snuggle to warm each other up or to be affectionate. People dating or married often snuggle. Close friends or siblings might snuggle, and people definitely snuggle with their pets. Snuggling is only likely to happen with people who are close; if you try to snuggle a stranger, you'll probably get arrested.
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:
Lu, who has protuberant light brown eyes, small black ears and a floppy tongue, loves to snuggle with her four-legged foster siblings and stretch out in the sun, according to the contest website.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Some responsibilities she’ll never give up: “The time to talk about our day, snuggle in bed, read books, that’s really special to me.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Adjacent to that may be the most enjoyed room in the house: a comfortable family room where everyone can snuggle up and watch TV.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2025
This is because we snuggle with and sleep in bed with our cats.
From Salon ● Feb. 12, 2025
When she was small, Naomi would snuggle into bed beside her mother, taking in the smell of her skin, tangy like grapefruit.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
Calvacca doesn’t play favorites, she says, but she snuggles Valentina and calls Sonny Mister Handsome.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 31, 2026
Every fortnight, Samii Wood snuggles up with a group of strangers for a "cuddle puddle".
From BBC ● May 10, 2025
This account reposts tons of cute videos—of snuggles, leaps, yawns, and naps.
From Slate ● Dec. 28, 2024
And it’s where my current boyfriend snuggles with me on the couch as we browse Zillow listings for the next place I can call home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2022
Prim, who’s decided the walls will hold up, snuggles with Buttercup on the lower bunk.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
I just looked at Chloe over his shoulder, beelined right to her, and snuggled up next to her on the couch, because I was so intimidated,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 29, 2025
My husband carried him into the room and placed him on the bed next to me as I snuggled his baby brother in the crook of my arm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025
Gus Walz rose from his seat snuggled in between his family who were all in tears and said, beaming at the vice president candidate, “That’s my dad.”
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2024
“He just loves people and is always happy when snuggled next to someone on the sofa,” said Dr Williams.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2024
The children bowed and snuggled back into their pillow fort.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
My holiday season officially starts on the night before Thanksgiving, snuggling under a thick throw while sharing a fireside catch-up with my best friend.
From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2025
I love snuggling with her, Tyson, our dog Lilly, and our cat Addie.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 27, 2024
Thankfully, the wait is almost over and I'll be snuggling up with a hot chocolate on Christmas Day to watch it with my family, just like everyone else.
From BBC ● Dec. 25, 2024
Both practices are concerned with defiance of worldly cares, with the tension between being a responsible member of society and snuggling beneath layers of blankets.
From New York Times ● Feb. 17, 2024
He wrapped his paws around Aretha, snuggling close.
From "Crenshaw" by Katherine Applegate
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.
