cradle
noun
cra·dle
| \ ËkrÄ-dá”l
\
\
Definition of cradle
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: a bed or cot for a baby usually on rockers or pivots
b
: a framework or support suggestive of a baby's cradle: such as
(1)
: a framework of bars and rods
(2)
: the support for a telephone receiver or handset
(3)
: a charging station for a device (such as a smartphone or tablet)
c
: an implement with rods like fingers attached to a scythe and used formerly for harvesting grain
d
: a frame to keep the bedclothes from contact with an injured part of the body
2a
: the earliest period of life : infancy
from the cradle to the grave
b
: a place of origin
the cradle of civilization
3
: a rocking device used in panning for gold
cradle
verb
cradled;
cradling\ ËkrÄd-liĆ
, ËkrÄ-dá”l-iĆ \
, ËkrÄ-dá”l-iĆ \
Definition of cradle (Entry 2 of 2)
1a
: to place or keep in or as if in a cradle
c
: to support protectively or intimately
cradling the injured man's head in her arms
2
: to cut (grain) with a cradle scythe
3
: to place, raise, support, or transport on a cradle
obsolete
: to rest in or as if in a cradle
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Synonyms for cradle
Synonyms: Noun
birthplace, home, mother country, motherland
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Examples of cradle in a Sentence
Noun
She placed the phone back on its cradle. A number of ships were resting in their cradles in the shipyard.Verb
He cradled her face in his hands. She was cradling the injured man's head in her arms.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
These policies have helped turn Colorado into a cradle for business development. — Special To The Denver Post, The Denver Post, "Guest commentary: Coloradoâs economy is on display, and now it must meet the challenges brought on by success," 30 Aug. 2019 From cradle to school Children of wealthy Athenians in the later fifth century B.C. would typically spend their early years at home. — Raquel LĂłpez, National Geographic, "Did sons and daughters get the same education in ancient Greece?," 28 Aug. 2019 Respect the language and carry cash As the cradle of French civilization in North America, the province of Quebec does almost everything in French â menus, road signs and local conversations. — Brent Schrotenboer, USA TODAY, "First time in Montreal? Here are 5 things you should do," 21 Aug. 2019 For the uprisingâs supporters, Daraa had became known as the cradle of their revolution. — Louisa Loveluck, Washington Post, "Syrian army raises flag above city considered as birthplace of uprising against Assad," 12 July 2018 The displays include a cradle commissioned for Princess Louise, Victoria and Albertâs sixth child, and drawings made by Victoria after her coronation at 19. — Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, "Hail, Victoria: Britain celebrates the Queenâs 200th birthday in grand style," 18 July 2019 The loss did not hurt Jericho, as Okada used a cradle pinfall to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat (the same finish was used in the first fall of Okadaâs best-of-three falls match against Kenny Omega last June). — Justin Barrasso, SI.com, "Undertaker-Goldberg Was the Nadir of an Eventful Weekend in Wrestling," 10 June 2019 Men who preyed on younger women were called letches, cradle-robbers, dogs. — Jill Ciment, Harper's magazine, "Then Again," 10 June 2019 Many of the more than 1,000 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails are accessible from Banff and the nearby hamlet of Lake Louise, cradle of that hypnotic indigo lake. — John Briley, Washington Post, "Better than Banff? In British Columbia, Nelson is a contender," 20 June 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Another image, shared to Grahamâs Instagram Story, showed her and her husband grinning widely and cradling her baby bump while director Ervin, 30, holds up an ultrasound photo. — Jen Juneau, PEOPLE.com, "Pregnant Ashley Graham Shows Off Her Baby Bump One Day After Announcing First Child on the Way," 15 Aug. 2019 The tides that pulled him and Kristentogether are the same that cradle him now. — Dominic Umile, Los Angeles Times, "Review: A lover of surfing, AJ Dungo finds connection and solace in âIn Wavesâ," 9 Aug. 2019 The ball found its way to Petitbon, who cradled it in to clinch the 14-10 victory. — Will Larkin, chicagotribune.com, "Ranking the 100 best Bears players ever: No. 41, Richie Petitbon," 27 July 2019 Gets it back, cradles it, and throws it again to the kid. — Gregg Doyel, Indianapolis Star, "Doyel: Luck's health, love affair between Colts and fans steal show from training camp," 25 July 2019 A few minutes later, April takes Genea's right hand and cradles it in both of hers. — Mark Curnutte, Cincinnati.com, "4 addresses in 4 months: This is what poverty looks like for this Cincinnati family," 10 July 2019 And then Houghton shot low and straight and soft, and Alyssa Naeher gathered the ball up, clinging onto it, cradling it close to her stomach. — Rory Smith, New York Times, "Ruthless. Relentless. Victorious.," 2 July 2019 An unmarked car with law enforcers, including one officer cradling a rifle in the back seat, drove past and was waved through by police manning the intersection. — Washington Post, "Witnesses: Frantic effort to save officer who was run over," 23 May 2018 Cas enzymes then take up one of the RNA molecules and cradle it. — Quanta Magazine, "Breakthrough DNA Editor Born of Bacteria," 6 Feb. 2015These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cradle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for cradle
cradle
noun
English Language Learners Definition of cradle
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a bed for a baby that is usually designed to rock back and forth when pushed gently
formal
: the place where something begins
: something that is used to hold or support something else
cradle
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of cradle (Entry 2 of 2)
: to hold (something or someone) gently in your arms or hands
See the full definition for cradle in the English Language Learners Dictionary
cradle
noun