cuddle
- 01 B1 Intermediate
v.to hold someone close in your arms to show that you love them or to make them feel safe.
v.to hold someone or something close in an affectionate embrace, often for an extended period.
Simple“The mother sat on the sofa to cuddle her crying toddler until he fell asleep.”
In context“After a long day apart, the couple liked to cuddle on the sofa while watching a film to unwind together.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to lie or sit very close to someone else, usually to stay warm or feel comfortable.
v.to nestle or lie close together, typically to benefit from shared body heat or emotional comfort.
Simple“The puppies all cuddled together in the corner of their bed to stay warm.”
In context“During the blizzard, the hikers had to cuddle together under their emergency blankets to maintain their core body temperatures.”
- 03 B1 Intermediate
Origin uncertain, but probably from a frequentative form of Middle English *cudden, cuththen, keththen (“to embrace”), a variant of cuthen, kuthen, kithen (“to be familiar with, make known”), from Middle English cuth, couth (“known, familiar”), equivalent to couth + -le. Cognate with Middle Dutch kudden (“to come together, flock together”). More at couth.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.