cocooning

American  

[kuh-koo-ning] / kəˈku nɪŋ /

noun

1. the comforting self-care practice of staying in and spending time at home rather than going out to socialize, especially enjoying quiet or sedentary leisure activities or entertainment.

   After the excitement and activity of the holidays, I look forward to cocooning for the entire month of January.

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Etymology

Origin of cocooning

An Americanism dating back to 1985–90; cocoon ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

In the cocooning fluidity of an ocean-borne day, rendered with thick-brushed painterliness and splashes of sound, we travel across flashes of community, injustice, achievement, love and despair.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026

Something that understood the rhythm of a slow morning, thick socks, a fogged-up kitchen, the whole mood of wintertime cocooning.

From Salon • Dec. 16, 2025

The idea that cocooning may be harmful is completely new information to most patients Gormally meets.

From Slate • Mar. 17, 2024

He also suggested government advisers were too quick to dismiss policies which, he argued, would have better protected the elderly and vulnerable by "cocooning" carers and other family members with whom they might have contact.

From BBC • Oct. 16, 2023

Now I know why I’ve been subconsciously cocooning myself in that vacuum of numbness.

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali