cradle
gb/kɹˈeɪdəl/ us/kɹˈeɪdəl/
B1
English
~ 9900
bölcső, tart, szülőhely, csecsemőkor, tartó, tartókeret, aranymosó bölcső
NOUN
B1
1
bölcső
A2
Usage pattern:
put [a baby] in the cradle
They placed the sleeping newborn gently in the cradle.
Az alvó újszülöttet óvatosan a bölcsőbe tették.
The old wooden cradle had been used by three generations of the family.
A régi fa bölcsőt a család három generációja is használta.
She sat beside the cradle, softly singing a lullaby while the baby stirred.
He built a simple cradle for his daughter’s first child.
A mobile hung over the cradle, turning slowly as the baby watched.
Learner examples
The baby is sleeping in the cradle.
A baba a bölcsőben alszik.
She rocks the cradle with her foot.
A lábával ringatja a bölcsőt.
They bought a new cradle before the baby was born.
The cradle is next to their bed.
He painted the cradle white.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "cradle" with "crib". In modern everyday American English, "crib" is more common for a baby's bed, while "cradle" often suggests a smaller, lower, often rocking bed and can sound a bit more old‑fashioned or poetic.
Meaning
small rocking bed for a baby
Collocations
baby's cradle
|rock the cradle
|wooden cradle
|cradle song
|cradle and crib
Synonyms
crib (More common in American English; often does not rock and has higher sides.)
Antonyms
bed (A general sleeping place, usually for an adult, not specifically for babies or rocking.)
Themes
family
|daily life
|daily_life
|housing
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A small bed for a baby that can move softly from side to side to help the baby sleep.
A small, low bed for a baby that is usually mounted on rockers or suspended so it can move gently back and forth.
VERB
B2
2
tart
A1
Usage pattern:
cradle [something/someone] in [one's] arms/hands
She cradled the kitten in her hands to keep it warm.
A kezében óvatosan tartotta a kiscicát, hogy ne fázzon.
He cradled her head in his lap while she rested.
Miközben a nő pihent, a férfi az ölében tartotta a fejét.
The trophy was cradled carefully in his arms as he walked off the field.
The old phone was cradled between her shoulder and ear as she typed.
The violinist cradled the instrument under her chin before beginning to play.
Learner examples
She cradled the baby in her arms.
Óvatosan a karjában tartotta a babát.
He cradled the bird so it would not fly away.
Óvatosan tartotta a madarat, hogy ne repüljön el.
I cradled the phone between my ear and my shoulder.
He cradled her face and kissed her.
The mother cat cradled her kittens close to her body.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "carry" instead of "cradle" in contexts where the gentle, protective idea is important. "Carry" only means to move something from place to place, while "cradle" focuses on how you hold it — softly, close, and safely.
Meaning
hold gently and supportively
Collocations
cradle a baby
|cradle his head
|cradle the phone
|cradle the ball
|cradle her face
Synonyms
hold (More general; does not always suggest the gentle, protective feeling that "cradle" has.)
Antonyms
drop (Means to let something fall, the opposite of carefully supporting it.)
Themes
body
|emotions
|daily_life
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To hold someone or something in a soft, careful way so that it feels safe and does not fall.
To hold or support someone or something gently and securely, often in the arms, hands, or a curved surface, in a way that protects or comforts it.
NOUN
B2
3
Usage pattern:
the cradle of [an idea/movement/civilization]
Athens is often described as the cradle of democracy.
Athént gyakran a demokrácia bölcsőjeként emlegetik.
The region became the cradle of the modern environmental movement.
A régió a modern környezetvédelmi mozgalom bölcsőjévé vált.
Many historians call Mesopotamia the cradle of civilization.
The small town is now seen as the cradle of the company’s global success.
Silicon Valley is widely regarded as the cradle of many tech innovations.
Learner examples
This city is the cradle of our culture.
Ez a város a kultúránk bölcsője.
Many ideas were born in the cradle of the university.
Sok gondolat az egyetem falai között született meg.
Mesopotamia is called the cradle of civilization.
The group grew in the cradle of student protest.
That area was the cradle of the new art style.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think "cradle" here means a physical bed. In phrases like "cradle of civilization", it is a metaphor for the place where something began and grew when it was very young as an idea or culture.
Meaning
place where something began
Collocations
cradle of civilization
|cradle of democracy
|cradle of industry
|cradle of innovation
|cradle of the Renaissance
Synonyms
birthplace (Very close in meaning; often used for people and ideas, while "cradle" more strongly suggests early growth and development.)
Antonyms
graveyard (Metaphorical opposite: a place where things end or die out, instead of begin.)
Themes
history
|society
|time
|education
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A place where something important started or grew when it was still new.
A place where something important, such as a culture, movement, or activity, first began or developed strongly in its early stages.
NOUN
C1
LITERARY
4
csecsemőkor
B1
Usage pattern:
from the cradle to [the grave/death]
He had been sickly from the cradle, but he still lived a long life.
Már csecsemőkorától fogva beteges volt, mégis hosszú életet élt.
The story follows her development from the cradle to old age.
A történet csecsemőkorától idős koráig követi végig a fejlődését.
Some families pass traditions down from the cradle through every generation.
She had loved music from the cradle and became a concert pianist.
They were close friends from the cradle, having grown up next door to each other.
Learner examples
He was weak from the cradle.
Születésétől fogva gyenge volt.
They were friends from the cradle.
Már egészen kicsi koruktól fogva barátok voltak.
She loved books from the cradle.
The law protects people from the cradle to the grave.
Good habits can start in the cradle.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "cradle" alone to mean "childhood" in everyday speech. In modern English this use is mostly in fixed or literary phrases like "from the cradle"; otherwise, "as a child" or "in my childhood" is more natural.
Meaning
a person's earliest infancy
Collocations
from the cradle
|since the cradle
|in the cradle
|ill from the cradle
|marked from the cradle
Synonyms
infancy (More formal and common in modern writing; does not carry the same poetic feel as "cradle".)
Antonyms
grave (Used in the fixed contrast "from the cradle to the grave," marking the end of life, opposite the beginning.)
Themes
life stages
|time
|core_vocabulary
Definition
The time when someone is a baby, at the very start of their life.
A person’s earliest period of life as a baby, especially when spoken of as the starting point of their whole life.
NOUN
C1
5
Usage pattern:
[device/object] sits in a cradle
She placed her mobile in the charging cradle on her desk.
Az íróasztalán lévő töltődokkolóba tette a mobilját.
The boat rested in a wooden cradle while repairs were carried out.
A hajó egy fa tartókeretben állt, amíg a javításokat végezték.
The camera slides into a cradle that keeps it steady during filming.
The old telephone handset sat in its cradle, silent for once.
Engineers designed a metal cradle to support the pipes during installation.
Learner examples
The phone sits in a small cradle on the table.
A telefon egy kis tartóban áll az asztalon.
The boat is in a cradle while workers fix it.
A hajó egy tartókeretben van, amíg a munkások javítják.
He put the camera back in its cradle.
The headset goes into this cradle to charge.
The old phone falls if it is not in the cradle.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think this "cradle" must rock like a baby’s bed. In modern technical or office contexts, a "cradle" is simply a shaped support or charging base and usually does not move.
Meaning
supporting frame or holder
Collocations
phone cradle
|charging cradle
|ship cradle
|camera cradle
|wheel cradle
Synonyms
holder (More general; "cradle" suggests a shaped support that fits around the object.)
Antonyms
stand (A support that usually holds something upright, not shaped around it; often contrasts with a more enclosing "cradle".)
Themes
technology
|tools
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A special holder or frame that keeps something in one place and supports it.
A shaped support, frame, or holder designed to keep an object in a particular position, often while it is resting, being stored, or being used.
NOUN
C2
TECHNICAL
6
Usage pattern:
use a cradle to wash [gravel/soil]
Prospectors used a simple cradle to separate gold from river gravel.
Az aranyásók egyszerű aranymosó bölcsőt használtak, hogy kinyerjék az aranyat a folyami kavicsból.
The old mining museum displays a wooden cradle from the gold rush era.
A régi bányászati múzeumban egy, az aranyláz korából származó fa aranymosó bölcsőt állítanak ki.
Miners stood in the stream and rocked the cradle for hours at a time.
Learner examples
In the past, gold miners used a cradle.
Régen az aranyásók aranymosó bölcsőt használtak.
Water runs through the cradle and washes the dirt.
Víz folyik át az aranymosó bölcsőn, és kimossa a földet.
The guide showed us an old cradle in the museum.
They rocked the cradle to find gold.
This type of cradle was common in the gold rush.
Meaning
rocking device for gold mining
Collocations
gold cradle
|mining cradle
|rock the cradle
|placer cradle
Synonyms
rocker (Technical mining term; another name for the same kind of gold-washing device.)
Antonyms
sluice (Another type of gold-washing apparatus; contrasted in mining contexts as a different method rather than a true opposite.)
Themes
mining
|history
|work
|science
Definition
A special box on rockers used by gold miners to wash dirt with water so they can catch small pieces of gold.
A box-like device mounted on rockers and used in placer mining to wash earth and gravel in order to separate out particles of gold.
Grammar
Dictionary form
cradle
IPA
GB/kɹˈeɪdəl/
US/kɹˈeɪdəl/
Syllables & stress
cradle (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (cradle)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: cradle
- Plural: cradles
Verb
- Base: cradle
- 3rd Person Singular: cradles
- Present Participle: cradling
- Past: cradled
Word family
Forms
cradles
noun
cradling
verb
cradled
verb
Related words
crib
noun
cot
noun A2
Expressions
cradle of civilization
1/kɹˈeɪdəl əv sˌɪvəlɪzˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
place where civilization began
A place where very early human cities and cultures first started and grew.
Examples
- Many historians call Mesopotamia the cradle of civilization.
- The museum exhibition explores life in the cradle of civilization.
- These river valleys have long been seen as the cradle of civilization.
cradle of democracy
1/kɹˈeɪdəl əv dɪmˈɑkɹəsi/
fixed phrase
place where democracy began
A place where democratic government started and became important for the first time.
Examples
- Athens is often described as the cradle of democracy.
- The country likes to present itself as the cradle of democracy.
- Students discussed whether the city can still claim to be the cradle of democracy.
cradle to grave
1/kɹˈeɪdəl tə ɡɹˈeɪv/
fixed phrase
lasting a whole lifetime
Describes something, such as a service or plan, that is there for a person for all of their life, from birth to death.
Examples
- They are debating a cradle-to-grave welfare system.
- The company offers cradle-to-grave product support.
- Some countries provide cradle-to-grave social security benefits.
kill in the cradle
1/kˈɪl ˈɪn ðə kɹˈeɪdəl/
idiom
literary
stop something very early
To stop an idea, plan, or problem very early, before it can grow or cause more trouble.
Examples
- The new regulations killed the project in the cradle.
- Strong early criticism killed the proposal in the cradle.
- They hoped to kill the rebellion in the cradle by arresting its leaders.
from the cradle to the grave
1/fɹˈʌm ðə kɹˈeɪdəl tə ðə ɡɹˈeɪv/
idiom
throughout someone's whole life
For all of a person’s life, starting when they are born until they die.
Examples
- The health system promises care from the cradle to the grave.
- The system promises free healthcare from the cradle to the grave.
- He remained loyal to the company from the cradle to the grave.
- She enjoyed strong family support from the cradle to the grave.
- The documentary follows his career from the cradle to the grave.
rob the cradle
1/ɹˈɑb ðə kɹˈeɪdəl/
idiom
informal
Be romantically involved with much younger person
To be in a romantic relationship with someone who is much younger than you.
Examples
- People whispered that he was robbing the cradle when he married his 20-year-old assistant.
- She joked about robbing the cradle when she started dating someone 15 years younger.
rob the cradle
2/ɹˈɑb ðə kɹˈeɪdəl/
idiom
informal
date someone much younger
To date or marry someone who is much younger than you, in a way that some people may find strange or wrong.
Examples
- People joked that he was robbing the cradle when he started dating a woman twenty years younger than him.
- She said she didn’t want to rob the cradle by going out with someone in his early twenties.
- He was teased for robbing the cradle after announcing his engagement.