cuddle
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
-
to lie close and snug; nestle.
-
to curl up in going to sleep.
noun
verb
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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
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cuddlessimple
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have cuddledperfect
-
has cuddledperfect
-
am cuddlingprogressive
-
are cuddlingprogressive
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is cuddlingprogressive
-
have been cuddlingperfect progressive
-
has been cuddlingperfect progressive
Past
-
cuddledsimple
-
had cuddledperfect
-
was cuddlingprogressive
-
were cuddlingprogressive
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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:
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
I lead him back to bed, cuddle up beside him.
From Slate ● May 10, 2026
Sea lions are thigmotactic, a scientific term for very social creatures who like to cuddle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
Abby collapses to the floor to cuddle with Bieber as soon as we walk into the kitchen.
From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli
"He was giving me cuddles when I put shampoo in his hair."
From BBC ● May 6, 2026
“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
It is intended for the fish, but you will not be offended if it cuddles up to other items on your plate.
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2024
Luna’s grandmother used to be bulbous and squat—all soft hugs and squishy cuddles.
From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill
"Tommy will rest his head on mine, he likes to be cuddled but this is the first time he has shown me any real emotion, and it means so much," James adds.
From BBC ● Dec. 25, 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
Rahena pulled her daughter into her lap and cuddled her.
From Seattle Times ● May 7, 2024
Parker nodded toward the second-story window, where they could see Hazel and Sophie cuddled up with the nanny.
From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2023
“How did he get in there? Who put the top down? Oh, darling, sweet, sweet Furball”—she cuddled the revolting creature next to her face—“you’re okay now. You’re my good dog. You’re my honeybunch.”
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
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
Eyton said: "We get a lot of flowers donated at this time of the year so the tables will look beautiful and I may bring the cuddling carrots along too."
From BBC ● Feb. 14, 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
“But it’s not romantic. It’s also nonsexual. It’s like, take a regular relationship and instead of kissing, put cuddling and stuff like that. And instead of ‘I love you’s’ it’s like, ‘You’re the greatest.’
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
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.