cuddle

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈkʌdəl/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈkʌdəl/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(kud′l)

Inflections of 'cuddle' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
cuddles
v 3rd person singular
cuddling
v pres p
cuddled
v past
cuddled
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
cud•dle /ˈkʌdəl/USA pronunciation   v., -dled, -dling, n. 
v. 
  1. to hold close in an affectionate manner;
    hug tenderly;
    lie close (to): [~ + object]We cuddled the baby until she calmed down.[no object]We were cuddling in the back seat of the car.[~ + up]We cuddled up by the fire and got warm.

n. [countable]
  1. an act of cuddling;
    hug;
    embrace.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
cud•dle  (kud′l),USA pronunciation v., -dled, -dling, n. 
v.t. 
  1. to hold close in an affectionate manner;
    hug tenderly;
    fondle.

v.i. 
  1. to lie close and snug;
    nestle.
  2. to curl up in going to sleep.

n. 
  1. act of cuddling;
    hug;
    embrace.
  • 1510–20; perh. back formation from Middle English cudliche intimate, affectionate, Old English cūthlīc, or from Middle English cuthlechen, Old English cūthlǣcan to make friends with; see couth2, -ly

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
cuddle /ˈkʌdəl/ vb
  1. 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
  2. (intransitive) followed by up: to curl or snuggle up into a comfortable or warm position
 n
  1. a close embrace, esp when prolonged
Etymology: 18th Century: of uncertain originˈcuddlesome adj ˈcuddly adj
(Advertisement)
'cuddle' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
canoodle - nestle - smooch - snog - spoon - cuddly - fondle - love - nuzzle - snug - snuggle
Collocations: gave me a [huge, strong, loving, comforting] cuddle, give your [sister, aunt, uncle, cousin, friend] a cuddle, were embraced in a [passionate, loving, tight] cuddle, more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "cuddle" in the title:


Look up "cuddle" at Merriam-Webster
Look up "cuddle" at dictionary.com
  • Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks.

In other languages: Spanish | French | Italian | Portuguese | Romanian | German | Dutch | Swedish | Russian | Polish | Czech | Greek | Turkish | Chinese | Japanese | Korean | Arabic

iPhone app store