Definition of "cocooning" [cocooning]

• Retreat into the seclusion of one's own home during leisure time, as for privacy or escape: "The harassments of daily life—looming nuclear incineration, rude waiters—have driven people to cocooning.” ( George F. Will). (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "In her recent book, The Faith Popcorn Report, she explains that cocooning is about "reality retreat -- the impulse to stay inside when it just gets too tough and scary outside.""
• "This is "cocooning" - the decade-old idea of the home as a safe, soothing nest - but pushed to the extreme, and with a dose of humour thrown in as well."
• "The idea of cutting back the materialism and spending time with friends or family - known as "cocooning" - becomes more attractive in times of trouble, she said."