MEANING
To wrap someone, especially a baby, closely in cloth.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- swaddle a newborn
- swaddled in blankets
On the page
She swaddled the infant before carrying him into the draughty hall.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- swaddle
- Past tense
- swaddled
- Past participle
- swaddled
- Present participle
- swaddling
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- swaddle
- Present continuous
- am/is/are swaddling
- Present perfect
- have/has swaddled
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been swaddling
- Past
- swaddled
- Past continuous
- was/were swaddling
- Past perfect
- had swaddled
- Past perfect continuous
- had been swaddling
- Future
- will swaddle
- Future continuous
- will be swaddling
- Future perfect
- will have swaddled
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been swaddling
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: swaddle; swaddles; swaddled; swaddled; swaddling Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: swaddles.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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