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as in to spoil
to treat with great or excessive care
accused the judiciary of coddling criminals
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of coddle
The congressional hearing this morning with Mayor Adams and the mayors of Boston, Chicago and Denver is a partisan Republican display designed to show that the four Democratic mayors are coddling dangerous and violent undocumented criminals who should be deported.
—
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 5 Mar. 2025
President Nixon accused the Warren Court of coddling criminals, says Laura Kalman, a research professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 16 May 2025
And so everybody started to hang onto their babies and coddle them and treat them differently.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 15 Jan. 2025
But where other modern franchises have found a sweet spot in coddling players just enough to give them the confidence to want to play and improve, City of the Wolves could easily quell any desire to commit with impunity.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for coddle
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 5 Mar. 2025
President Nixon accused the Warren Court of coddling criminals, says Laura Kalman, a research professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 16 May 2025
And so everybody started to hang onto their babies and coddle them and treat them differently.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 15 Jan. 2025
But where other modern franchises have found a sweet spot in coddling players just enough to give them the confidence to want to play and improve, City of the Wolves could easily quell any desire to commit with impunity.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for coddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coddle
Verb
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Eagle Pass, Texas, once boiled with border crossings.—
Ned Temko,
Christian Science Monitor,
5 June 2025
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Temperatures inside the engine would reach nearly 5,000° Fahrenheit, boiling the hydrogen and driving the resulting gas through a nozzle, generating thrust.—
Stephen Clark – Jun 3,
ArsTechnica,
3 June 2025
Verb
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Dodge won't spoil the surprise by confirming if the last one will be based on the Charger or the Challenger (or maybe both), but the evidence suggests the latter is more likely.—
Jack Fitzgerald,
Car and Driver,
13 Feb. 2023
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Farmers’ broiler chickens suffocate, and dairy products spoil.—
Monica Mark,
The Christian Science Monitor,
10 Feb. 2023
Verb
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How much of the $55 million owed to the Mountain West in poaching fees will the Pac-12 retain or relinquish?—
Jon Wilner,
Mercury News,
6 June 2025
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And for a Knicks team with money and power, poaching another team’s head coach might not be off the table, either.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
4 June 2025
Verb
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Strive to indulge once in a while without overdoing it.—
Leigh Morgan,
Quartz,
2 June 2025
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Lot holders know that tchotchkes aren’t allowed but that the grounds crew will indulge them, for a time.—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
2 June 2025
Verb
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The nose is fruity and aromatic, showcasing stewed and roasted stone fruits, particularly nectarine and dried apricot, fig jam, and lavender potpourri.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
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So, how close is Cruz to realizing his full potential? McCutchen, a 17-year veteran who turns 39 in October, stewed on the question.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
Verb
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Today’s retirement stewards nurse a Rube Goldberg contraption of laws, one-off integrations and workarounds.—
Miguel Kudry,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
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After starting Saturday sharing the lead, Ben Griffin and Matthias Schmid continued their control of the leaderboard at the Charles Schwab Challenge with the pair nursing a 4-stroke lead headed into Sunday’s final round.—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 May 2025
Verb
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Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Australia's economy grew less than expected in the first quarter this year, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said in a statement Wednesday, as growth stalled amid the simmering global trade tensions.—
Anniek Bao,Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
4 June 2025
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In the final dish, the cherries are sweet and juicy, having been simmered in a citrusy sauce with hints of vanilla and a splash of bourbon that brings out the sweetness in the fruit.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
2 June 2025
Verb
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Although less worldly than Welles, Anderson has a career that’s better financed, if not pampered, and that remains quintessentially American.—
Armond White,
National Review,
30 May 2025
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The attached Milk + Honey spa provides convenient pampering after travel, with a menu that has everything from an express facial and traditional massages to chemical peels and hair treatments.—
Claudia Fisher,
Travel + Leisure,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Coddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coddle. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.
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