cuddle
v.v. to hold someone close in your arms to show love or comfort. You cuddle a baby, a partner, or a pet.
v. to hold or embrace someone or something closely, typically to express affection, comfort, or warmth.
She likes to cuddle her cat on the sofa.
The couple decided to cuddle on the couch while watching a movie.
In the quiet of the evening, they would cuddle under heavy blankets, finding solace in each other's warmth against the biting winter wind.
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.
The verb is transitive and takes a direct object.