1
a
: a large usually oblong piece of woven fabric used as a bed covering
b
: a similar piece of fabric used as a body covering (as for an animal)
a horse blanket
2
: something that resembles a blanket
a blanket of fog
a blanket of gloom
3
: a rubber or plastic sheet on the cylinder in an offset press that transfers the image to the surface being printed
blanketed; blanketing; blankets
1
: to cover with or as if with a blanket
new grass blankets the slope
2
a
: to cover so as to obscure, interrupt, suppress, or extinguish
blanket a fire with foam
b
: to interrupt the smooth flow of wind to (something, such as a downwind ship)
c
: to apply or cause to apply to uniformly despite wide separation or diversity among the elements included
freight rates that blanket a region
d
: to cause to be included
automatically blanketed into the program
towns blanketed into the district
1
: effective or applicable in all instances or contingencies
blanket rules
Traveller rights across the European Union remain unchanged despite the blanket cancellation of flights and holidays in recent weeks …—
Conor Pope
Conor PopeA blanket ban on all private collecting of ivory could result in the confiscation and destruction of many historically important pieces of work.—Kit Roberts
Kit RobertsDr. Molefi Kete Asante, chair of African American Studies at Temple University, … remarked: "I do not think that anyone should make any blanket statements about any ethnic or cultural group without citing authoritative sources to substantiate those statements."—Peter Noel
Peter Noel2
: covering all members of a group or class without individual apportionment
blanket insurance coverage
… calling for a five per cent blanket wage reduction for all city hall staffers …—Melissa Gilligan
Melissa GilliganSynonyms
Examples of blanket in a Sentence
Noun
It's going to get cold tonight so you may need extra blankets.
a blanket of fog concealed the view of the harbor
Verb
Ice was blanketing the bay.
The fields were blanketed with flowers.
Adjective
a blanket amnesty for all illegal aliens
a blanket ban on use of the chemical
Recent Examples on the WebLinda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
The room was bright and airy, with blankets, clothes, cooking utensils, and suitcases piled up in one corner.
—Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024
Eyes turned upward both inside and outside the path of totality, from ranches in the Texas hill country and blankets spread out in Washington on the National Mall.
—USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
Groups of friends and families claimed their spots on the lawn with blankets, chairs, food and pets in tow.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2024
The reason Youngkin might resort to a blanket veto lies in the way the budget is structured.
—Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Grace cuddled a baby kangaroo that rested in a blanket on her lap in the sweet photo.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024
Bates said blanket policies on fighting are often unrealistic.
—Sarah Ritter, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2024
Right now, some of your mom's friends are almost certainly crocheting yellow blankets in honor of your baby's arrival.
—Becky Batcha and Hiranmayi Srinivasan, Parents, 29 Mar. 2024
Stephan Bisaha, NPR, 5 Apr. 2024
Poppies across Southern California aren’t popping, even as other bright flowers blanket the region.
—Defne Karabatur, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
But the rare cosmic event happening on April 8 — during which the moon passes between the sun and Earth, obscuring the sun and therefore blanketing areas in its path in darkness — seemed to be the right occasion for Nye, 68, to experiment with his style.
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
No wind, clear blue-and-purple skies, the sun slowly rising above the red dust blanketing the savanna far below.
—Mark Jenkins, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
The isolation of the island, more than a third of which is blanketed in nature reserves, has led to unique subspecies of fauna, including kangaroos, possum-like dunnarts, glossy black cockatoos, and the only disease-free colonies of koalas and Ligurian bees.
—Chloe Sachdev, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Mar. 2024
The ranch also offers private skiing on a mountain that gets blanketed in snow and has 20 runs.
—Brittany Anas, The Denver Post, 12 Mar. 2024
Among the changes announced, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will reinstate a decades-old regulation that mandates blanket protections for species newly classified as threatened.
—Matthew Brown, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024
The palms had made up the great majority of Rapa Nui’s tree cover, some 16 million trees that blanketed about 70 percent of the island.
—Daniel Lewis, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024
Taylor Gumm, Rolling Stone, 22 Jan. 2024
Noun
Items needed include diapers (all sizes, except newborn), wipes, baby lotions, shampoo, diaper rash creams, blankets, onesies, crib sheets, towels and pajamas.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
The room was bright and airy, with blankets, clothes, cooking utensils, and suitcases piled up in one corner.
—Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024
Eyes turned upward both inside and outside the path of totality, from ranches in the Texas hill country and blankets spread out in Washington on the National Mall.
—USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
Groups of friends and families claimed their spots on the lawn with blankets, chairs, food and pets in tow.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2024
The reason Youngkin might resort to a blanket veto lies in the way the budget is structured.
—Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Grace cuddled a baby kangaroo that rested in a blanket on her lap in the sweet photo.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024
Bates said blanket policies on fighting are often unrealistic.
—Sarah Ritter, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2024
Right now, some of your mom's friends are almost certainly crocheting yellow blankets in honor of your baby's arrival.
—Becky Batcha and Hiranmayi Srinivasan, Parents, 29 Mar. 2024
Verb
Right-to-work laws that blanket the region prohibit employers and unions from forcing employees to become union members and pay dues.
—Stephan Bisaha, NPR, 5 Apr. 2024
Poppies across Southern California aren’t popping, even as other bright flowers blanket the region.
—Defne Karabatur, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
But the rare cosmic event happening on April 8 — during which the moon passes between the sun and Earth, obscuring the sun and therefore blanketing areas in its path in darkness — seemed to be the right occasion for Nye, 68, to experiment with his style.
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
No wind, clear blue-and-purple skies, the sun slowly rising above the red dust blanketing the savanna far below.
—Mark Jenkins, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
The isolation of the island, more than a third of which is blanketed in nature reserves, has led to unique subspecies of fauna, including kangaroos, possum-like dunnarts, glossy black cockatoos, and the only disease-free colonies of koalas and Ligurian bees.
—Chloe Sachdev, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Mar. 2024
The ranch also offers private skiing on a mountain that gets blanketed in snow and has 20 runs.
—Brittany Anas, The Denver Post, 12 Mar. 2024
Among the changes announced, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will reinstate a decades-old regulation that mandates blanket protections for species newly classified as threatened.
—Matthew Brown, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024
The palms had made up the great majority of Rapa Nui’s tree cover, some 16 million trees that blanketed about 70 percent of the island.
—Daniel Lewis, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Add in those warm layers with this pretty blanket scarf that can be wrapped in a bunch of different ways.
—Taylor Gumm, Rolling Stone, 22 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blanket.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near blanket
Cite this Entry
“Blanket.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blanket. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
blanket
1 of 3 noun
blan·ket
ˈblaŋ-kət 
1
: a large warm usually rectangular covering used for beds
2
: a covering of any kind
a horse blanket
a blanket of snow
blanket
2 of 3 verb
: to cover with or as if with a blanket
blanket
3 of 3 adjective
: covering all instances or members of a group or class
blanket approval
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