Blanket: A Cover for a Bed, and a Word for Anything Applied to Everyone
A blanket is a thick cloth cover used for warmth. As an adjective it means applying to all cases without exception, as in a blanket ban.
A blanket covers a bed, and by extension covers everything else. Snow blankets a field, fog blankets a valley, and a blanket ban covers every case without looking at any of them. The adjective is the useful one for exams: it always means no exceptions.
- A thick cloth cover. *An extra blanket on the bed.*
- A covering layer. *A blanket of snow.*
- Applying to all cases (adjective). *A blanket ban on advertising.*
- To cover completely (verb). *Fog blanketed the airport.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | blanket | A woollen blanket. |
| Adjective | blanket | A blanket refusal. |
| Verb | blanket | Ash blanketed the town. |
| Compound | wet blanket | Do not be a wet blanket. |
| Compound | blanket coverage | Blanket media coverage. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The council imposed a blanket ban on fireworks.No exceptions and no case-by-case review.
- A blanket of cloud hid the summit.A blanket of is the standard figurative pattern.
- He was born on the wrong side of the blanket.An old euphemism for being born outside marriage.
Blanket in phrases
- Wet blanket — someone who spoils the mood
- Security blanket — a comforting object or arrangement
- Blanket coverage — reporting on every angle at once
- Blanket statement — a sweeping claim that ignores exceptions
From Old French *blanchet*, a white woollen cloth, from *blanc*, white. The colour came first and the function followed, so the word originally described the material rather than the object.
Why is a killjoy called a wet blanket?
A damp blanket was thrown over a fire to put it out. The image transferred neatly to anyone who dampens enthusiasm.
Is blanket statement negative?
Usually. It suggests the speaker has generalised too far and ignored obvious exceptions.