# cradle snatcher

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/cradle-snatcher
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A person who prefers to date people significantly younger than themselves.

## Examples

- People often call him a cradle snatcher because his girlfriend is so young.
- You look like a cradle snatcher when you date someone still in college.
- Does he know that people think he is a cradle snatcher?
- When he started dating someone twenty years his junior, his friends joked that he was a total cradle snatcher.
- My cousin's new husband is only twenty-one, so my grandmother keeps calling her a cradle snatcher at every family dinner.
- The neighbors whispered about the cradle snatcher next door after he introduced his partner, who was young enough to be his daughter.
- Despite his protests that age is merely a number, the gossip columns frequently labeled him a cradle snatcher due to his penchant for dating women barely out of their teens.

## Origin

The idiom draws upon the image of snatching an infant directly from a cradle, implying the extreme youth of the individual being pursued. It emerged as a colloquialism for a person who seeks out a romantic partner significantly younger than themselves.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.