as in to caress
to touch or handle in a tender or loving manner
a cat who enjoys being fondled by his loving owners
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fondle
Verb
-
The 39-year-old Nigerian-British actress hit the first official awards show of the season, donning a canary yellow gown and caressing her bump as the cameras flashed.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
11 Jan. 2026 -
In one instance, Alix leans in to whisper something in his ear while caressing his back.—
StyleCaster Editors,
StyleCaster,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
After the Bears' improbable comeback in the regular season, the handshake lasted a tad longer, as both coaches patted each other on the arm before going their separate ways.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
13 Jan. 2026
-
The quarterback stood back there for three seconds and patted the ball and threw it down the field.—
Mike Sando,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
For an artisanal twist, look no further than Ezcaray Matisse throw that looks as if Georgia O’Keeffe applied the paint brush strokes herself.—
Kristine Hansen,
Architectural Digest,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Allen has created a hall of mirrors, then, in which we’re supposed to stroke our chins and perhaps wink-wink at Baum’s meta commentary about the dangers of confusing the artist with the man … But so what?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Dec. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Fondle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fondle. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
