as in to pat
to touch or handle in a tender or loving manner
gently caressed her hair
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of caress
The men caress fruit, sometimes toying with a stem on their tongue.
—
Leah Asmelash, CNN, 9 Mar. 2025
But Gallardo clandestinely documented her experience there; in the exhibition, a short, lo-fi video shows her hands slowly caressing those of Estela, an ailing senior citizen and former street worker who lived at Casa Xochiquetzal.
—Fabiola Iza, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2025
On Valentines Day, Rihanna sat with Mayers during another break, gently caressing his cheek while the couple sat on a courtroom bench, surrounded by beefy security guards.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 18 Feb. 2025
Loving caresses, shared laughing and group singing release a flood of native feel-good opioids.
—Moises Velasquez-Manoff Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Zak Mouton, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for caress
Leah Asmelash, CNN, 9 Mar. 2025
But Gallardo clandestinely documented her experience there; in the exhibition, a short, lo-fi video shows her hands slowly caressing those of Estela, an ailing senior citizen and former street worker who lived at Casa Xochiquetzal.
—Fabiola Iza, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2025
On Valentines Day, Rihanna sat with Mayers during another break, gently caressing his cheek while the couple sat on a courtroom bench, surrounded by beefy security guards.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 18 Feb. 2025
Loving caresses, shared laughing and group singing release a flood of native feel-good opioids.
—Moises Velasquez-Manoff Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Zak Mouton, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for caress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for caress
Verb
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After being mobbed by his team-mates, Van Dijk patted the badge on his shirt in front of the Kop and then planted a kiss on it, to rapturous acclaim.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
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Cue chill Schmidt, patting away on his handheld drum without a care in the world.—
Isabella Milano,
Better Homes & Gardens,
12 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Janine slips June a keycard and tells her to meet her there later, then scurries off to stroke stupid Bell’s stupid ego.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
22 Apr. 2025
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Research now shows that some stalwart seafarers stroked their way from mainland Europe to the island of Malta, about 60 miles away, about 8,500 years ago, according to an article in the journal Nature.—
Paul Smaglik,
Discover Magazine,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Caress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/caress. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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