blanket (blankets plural & 3rd person present) (blanketing present participle) (blanketed past tense & past participle )
1 n-count A blanket is a large square or rectangular piece of thick cloth, especially one which you put on a bed to keep you warm.
2 n-count A blanketof something such as snow is a continuous layer of it which hides what is below or beyond it.
usu sing, N of n
The mud disappeared under a blanket of snow..., Cold damp air brought in the new year under a blanket of fog.
3 verb If something such as snow blankets an area, it covers it.
More than a foot of snow blanketed parts of Michigan... V n
4 adj You use blanket to describe something when you want to emphasize that it affects or refers to every person or thing in a group, without any exceptions.
usu ADJ n (emphasis)
(=comprehensive)
There's already a blanket ban on foreign unskilled labour in Japan.
5 →
electric blanket →
security blanket →
wet blanket
electric blanket (electric blankets plural )An electric blanket is a blanket with wires inside it which carry an electric current that keeps the blanket warm. n-count
security blanket (security blankets plural )
1 n-count If you refer to something as a security blanket, you mean that it provides someone with a feeling of safety and comfort when they are in a situation that worries them or makes them feel nervous.
Alan sings with shy intensity, hiding behind the security blanket of his guitar.
2 n-count A baby's security blanket is a piece of cloth or clothing which the baby holds and chews in order to feel comforted.
wet blanket (wet blankets plural )If you say that someone is a wet blanket, you are criticizing them because they refuse to join other people in an enjoyable activity or because they want to stop other people enjoying themselves.
INFORMAL n-count
(disapproval)
(=spoilsport)
