coddled; coddling
ˈkä-dᵊl-iŋ 
ˈkäd-liŋ
1
: to cook (something, such as eggs) in liquid slowly and gently just below the boiling point
coddled the eggs for the Caesar salad
2
: to treat with extreme or excessive care or kindness : pamper
accused the court of coddling criminals
colleges that coddle their athletes
Examples of coddle in a Sentence
The judges were accused of coddling criminals.
a hearty, traditional breakfast that included coddled eggs
Recent Examples on the Web
Police officers, in my view, coddled Lorincz and failed to protect her Black neighbors, Owens among them.
—
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 Dec. 2025
As children, Keaton often dismissed her younger brother as a crybaby, scaredy cat and a nuisance who was coddled by their mother.
—Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 26 Dec. 2025
True American industrial strength rests on productivity, innovation, competition, and access to global supply chains, not on coddling producers behind walls of higher prices.
—Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 25 Nov. 2025
The wrecking-ball style is the way King played even at Longview (Texas) High, where his father was the coach, and didn’t coddle or protect his son, as Dickey remembers.
—Seth Emerson, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for coddle
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Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 Dec. 2025
As children, Keaton often dismissed her younger brother as a crybaby, scaredy cat and a nuisance who was coddled by their mother.
—Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 26 Dec. 2025
True American industrial strength rests on productivity, innovation, competition, and access to global supply chains, not on coddling producers behind walls of higher prices.
—Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 25 Nov. 2025
The wrecking-ball style is the way King played even at Longview (Texas) High, where his father was the coach, and didn’t coddle or protect his son, as Dickey remembers.
—Seth Emerson, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for coddle
Cite this Entry
“Coddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coddle. Accessed 5 Jan. 2026.
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