Blanket — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb adjective /ˈblaŋ-kət/ blan·ket

Meaning & Definition of Blanket

Blanket (noun)

  1. a large usually oblong piece of woven fabric used as a bed covering
  2. a similar piece of fabric used as a body covering (as for an animal)
  3. something that resembles a blanket

Blanket (verb)

  1. to cover with or as if with a blanket
  2. to cover so as to obscure, interrupt, suppress, or extinguish
  3. to interrupt the smooth flow of wind to (something, such as a downwind ship)

Blanket (adjective)

  1. effective or applicable in all instances or contingencies
  2. covering all members of a group or class without individual apportionment

Blanket (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. something that covers or conceals like a piece of cloth

    "a blanket of fog concealed the view of the harbor"

    similar: cloak, cope, cover, cover-up, covering, coverture, curtain, hood, mantle, mask, pall, penumbra, robe, shroud, veil, wraps
    related: blind, concealer, screen, shield, fig leaf, Potemkin village, Trojan horse, camouflage, disguise, facade, face, veneer, gloss, varnish

Blanket (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. belonging or relating to the whole

    "a blanket promise of amnesty for everyone with overdue library books"

    similar: across-the-board, broad-brush, common, general, generic, global, overall, universal
    related: all-embracing, broad, broad-gauge, broadscale, comprehensive, extensive, inclusionary, overarching, pervasive, sweeping, ubiquitous, wholesale, wide, widespread, aggregate, collective, complete, full, plenary, planetary, worldwide
    opposite: individual, particular
    near: component, constituent, cross-sectional, divisional, fragmentary, partial, local, localized, regional, sectional

Blanket (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to form a layer over

    "leaves blanketed all of the land around the house"

    similar: carpet, coat, cover, overlay, overlie, overspread, sheet
    related: enclose, enrobe, enshroud, enswathe, envelop, enwrap, mantle, shawl, shroud, swathe, wrap, cloak, clothe, curtain, veil, circle, encircle, encompass

  2. to keep secret or shut off from view

    "blanketed the secret memo from the news media"

    similar: belie, blot out, cloak, conceal, cover, curtain, disguise, enshroud, hide, mask, obscure, occult, paper over, screen, shroud, suppress, veil
    related: bury, camouflage, cover (up), smother, gild, gloss (over), varnish, whitewash, becloud, bedim, befog, block, cloud, darken, eclipse, obstruct, occlude, overcast, overshadow, shade
    opposite: bare, disclose, display, divulge, expose, reveal, show, uncloak, uncover, unmask, unveil
    near: bring out, present, clarify, illuminate, advertise, air, broadcast, get out, proclaim, publicize, publish, spread

  3. to cause to cease burning

    "firefighters managed to blanket the fire with foam"

    similar: douse, extinguish, put out, quench, snuff (out)
    related: choke, smother, suffocate, blow out, rub out, snub (out), stamp (out), stub
    opposite: fire, ignite, inflame, kindle, light

Related Entry: Wet blanket (noun)

Wet blanket is a different word from Blanket. The synonyms below are for wet blanket, not for blanket.

  1. a person who spoils the pleasure of others

    "I'd love to go to the party, but with my cold, I'm afraid I'd just be a wet blanket"

    similar: drag, grinch, killjoy, party pooper, spoilsport
    related: fuddy-duddy, goody-goody, Goody Two-shoes, old maid, stick-in-the-mud, defeatist, Jeremiah, knocker, pessimist, complainer, crab, cynic, grouch, grump, sorehead, sourpuss, whiner, bore, downer, drip
    near: cutup, jester, live wire, carouser, celebrant, celebrator, merrymaker, rejoicer, reveler, roisterer, libertine, playboy, playgirl, rake

Related Entry: Security blanket (noun)

Security blanket is a different word from Blanket. The synonyms below are for security blanket, not for blanket.

  1. as in narcotic, opiate

    similar: anesthetic, anodyne, narcotic, opiate, hypnotic, sedative, soporific, tranquilizer, pacifier, palliative

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Blanket

The most common words with a similar meaning to Blanket:

cloak, cope, cover, cover-up, covering, coverture, curtain, hood, mantle, mask, pall, penumbra, robe, shroud, veil, wraps, across-the-board, broad-brush, common, general, generic, global, overall, universal, carpet, coat, overlay, overlie, overspread, sheet, belie, blot out, conceal, disguise, enshroud, hide, obscure, occult, paper over, screen

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Blanket

Words with the opposite meaning of Blanket:

individual, particular, bare, disclose, display, divulge, expose, reveal, show, uncloak, uncover, unmask, unveil, fire, ignite, inflame, kindle, light

Related Words for Blanket

blind, concealer, shield, fig leaf, Potemkin village, Trojan horse, camouflage, facade, face, veneer, gloss, varnish, all-embracing, broad, broad-gauge, broadscale, comprehensive, extensive, inclusionary, overarching, pervasive, sweeping, ubiquitous, wholesale, wide, widespread, aggregate, collective, complete, full

Near Antonyms of Blanket

component, constituent, cross-sectional, divisional, fragmentary, partial, local, localized, regional, sectional, bring out, present, clarify, illuminate, advertise, air, broadcast, get out, proclaim, publicize, publish, spread

Word Forms of Blanket

Inflections: blanketed, blanketing, blankets

Derived words: blanketlike (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Blanket

Middle English blanket, blaunket "woolen cloth (usually undyed), bed covering," borrowed from Anglo-French blanchet, blaunchet, blanket "whitish, cosmetic powder made from white lead, white woolen material, bed covering" (also continental Old & Middle French blanchet, blanquet "white, white woolen fabric, sleeveless woman's garment"), from blanc "white" + -et, diminutive suffix (going back to Latin -ittus) blank:1

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Blanket

Words & Phrases Containing Blanket

blanket chest, blanket stitch, pig in a blanket, receiving blanket, saddle blanket, security blanket, wet blanket

Frequently Asked Questions about Blanket

What does "Blanket" mean?

"Blanket" means a large usually oblong piece of woven fabric used as a bed covering. As an a noun, a verb and an adjective, it is defined as: a large usually oblong piece of woven fabric used as a bed covering. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Blanket"?

Other words for "Blanket" include cloak, cope, cover, cover-up, covering, coverture, curtain and hood. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Blanket" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Blanket"?

There are 116 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Blanket". Common alternatives include cloak, cope, cover, cover-up, covering, coverture, curtain, hood, mantle and mask.

What is the opposite of "Blanket"?

Antonyms of "Blanket" include individual, particular, bare, disclose, display, divulge, expose and reveal. Near antonyms include component, constituent, cross-sectional and divisional.

How do you use "Blanket" in a sentence?

Examples of "Blanket" in a sentence: "a blanket of fog concealed the view of the harbor"; "a blanket promise of amnesty for everyone with overdue library books"; "leaves blanketed all of the land around the house".

Is "Blanket" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Blanket" can be used as a noun, a verb and an adjective, depending on the context.

Is "Blanket" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B2-level word, "Blanket" is typical of Cambridge B2 First (FCE), IELTS band 5.5–6.5, TOEFL iBT 72–94, PTE Academic 59–75, TOEIC Listening & Reading 785+.

How do you pronounce "Blanket"?

"Blanket" is pronounced /ˈblaŋ-kət/ and divided into syllables as blan·ket.