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
-
Wilhelm enters the room, removes most of his clothing and gets into bed with her, slaps her, pushes her away and then caresses her face and cradles her.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026 -
Grudda pushed Barkow's wheelchair through the zoo, her hands caressing her mother's shoulders or pointing out the animals.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The one-sided conversation ended with Hocevar patting Wallace on the shoulder — defusing the tension while offering little remorse.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 June 2026
-
The guard then patted Clark on the shoulder.—
Ryan Gaydos OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
The responder then bends down to gently stroke the bird before getting another idea.—
Raven Brunner,
PEOPLE,
2 June 2026
-
Mihyia Davis stroked the next pitch off Slimp’s glove in left for a double and Williams moved to third.—
Tim Willert,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
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 11 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
