coddle
to treat tenderly; nurse or tend indulgently; pamper: to coddle children when they're sick.
to cook (eggs, fruit, etc.) in water that is just below the boiling point; cook gently.
Origin of coddle
1Other words for coddle
Other words from coddle
- coddler, noun
- un·cod·dled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use coddle in a sentence
There was already too much coddling of kids in school, as far as Mr. K was concerned.
In the weeks leading up to the hearing the nominee was accused of coddling Iran, hating Israel, even sympathizing with Hamas.
How the Chuck Hagel Fight Changed the American Jewish Landscape in Washington | J. J. Goldberg | August 20, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTMore important, under the financial repression and Wall Street–coddling policies of the Fed there is no free market left.
The response of the Obama administration has been widely assailed as “weak” and “coddling” of a “Chinese dictatorship.”
The U.S. Cannot Confront China on Every Move it Disagrees With | Zachary Karabell | May 5, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTIn plain English, they milked the Americans for money while coddling some of the al Qaeda killers.
America Welcomes Yemen Elections, Remains Wary of al Qaeda’s Influence | Christopher Dickey | February 21, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Of course the child may cry, but that is simply because he has become over-particular through too much coddling.
Seeing Things at Night | Heywood BrounNo doubt you will wish to practise coddling the Ideal Husband a little longer before your classes begin.
The Revolt | Ellis Parker ButlerYou might just as well advise nursing and coddling a nest of brown-tail moths—and we are spending good money to kill off moths.
Blow The Man Down | Holman DayEarth, he thought; Earth again, coddling and protecting aliens, forming them into a conspiracy against the humanoid worlds.
Victory | Lester del ReyMartin hesitated, protesting that there was "altogether too much of this coddling business" in the matter of Cameron's future.
Corporal Cameron | Ralph Connor
British Dictionary definitions for coddle
/ (ˈkɒdəl) /
to treat with indulgence
to cook (something, esp eggs) in water just below the boiling point
Irish dialect stew made from ham and bacon scraps
Origin of coddle
1Derived forms of coddle
- coddler, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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