caress

verb ca·ress \ kə-ˈres \

Definition of caress

transitive verb

1 :to treat with tokens of fondness, affection, or kindness :cherish

the regiment was fed and caressed at station after station
—Stephen Crane

2 a :to touch or stroke lightly in a loving or endearing manner

She caressed the baby's cheek.

b :to touch or affect as if with a caress

echoes that caress the ear

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caresser

noun

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caressingly

play \kə-ˈre-siŋ-lē\ adverb

See caress defined for English-language learners

Examples of caress in a Sentence

She caressed the baby's cheek.
A warm breeze caressed her face.

Recent Examples of caress from the Web

It is packed with suggestions of apricot and apple, caressing with its jolt of sweetness (nearly 4 percent residual sugar) and finishing with a snap of refreshing acidity that insists on one more sip.

— mike dunne, sacbee, "Dunne on Wine: There’s still time for white wine," 30 Aug. 2017
The male approaches the female and caresses her with his palps.

— jason bittel, Smithsonian, "Camel Spiders Are Fast, Furious and Horrifically Fascinating," 9 Aug. 2017
Newman drops a couple of petals into the water, hands me the rose to smell, and proceeds to caress my feet, saying nothing but gazing into my eyes the entire time.

— The Cut, "The Marriage Therapist at a Tantra Retreat," 6 Aug. 2017
Gregory reads the stories’ general narration in a well-bred, caressing voice, a manner precisely in keeping with Hadley’s own way of setting her characters up for disturbing developments.

— katherine a. powers, The Seattle Times, "For your listening pleasure: 6 great new audiobooks," 31 July 2017
Williams caressed a forehand winner down the line on a third match point to seal victory over Konta and celebrated in understated fashion.

— CNN, "Wimbledon 2017: Venus Williams reaches ninth final," 13 July 2017
But now the stoner world is so much sleeker and more subtle: Press a little button on your vape pen and that essential oil de Girl Scout Cookie turns to sweet mist and caresses your lungs with its glorious flavors of Funnier and Less Boring.

— heather havrilesky, The Cut, "Ask Polly: Do I Smoke Too Much Pot?," 27 June 2017
As far as Kam and Chambers were concerned, the agency’s stipulations were patent no-brainers: Relax, hop on a zip line, caress a jungle critter or two, make googly eyes at each other.

— emily mae czachor, latimes.com, "‘Our relationship is our profession’: At VidCon, LGBTQ social media influencers talk love and brands," 25 June 2017
The different-size plots — angled to dovetail harmoniously, positioned to carefully caress the contours of the hillsides and bordered by dry stone walls — prevent this unique and improbable place to live from sliding into the sea.

— gaia pianigiani, New York Times, "To Save Its Cliffside Towns, Italy Revives the Art of Terracing," 6 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'caress.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.