as in touching
medical
to examine (part of the body) by touching it
The doctor palpated his ribs to see if there was any tenderness.
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for palpating
Verb
-
And how touching her shy, tentative pride when Johanna’s elementary-school teacher tells her that her daughter has an unusual talent for drawing.—
Elaine Blair,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026 -
Avoid touching the cuticle area.—
Ariana Yaptangco,
Glamour,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Before the game, Eldridge discussed feeling more comfortable and in rhythm this spring.—
Haley Smilow,
Mercury News,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Infused with argan oil and linseed extract (and very little else), this oil immediately softens, detangles, conditions, and dials up shine—without ever feeling heavy or slick.—
Lily Wohlner,
Allure,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The 30-year-old said that the whirlwind experience — being traded, shaving his bushy beard, disappointing his new team and getting demoted in less than a week’s time — taught him a lot about himself.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2026
-
So an advancement in this niche wasn't just about shaving off a few micrometers this way and that, but also about ensuring the QR code was usable over a long period of time in that tiny encoding area.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
For our littlest kids, this might mean patting the back of a worried friend, waving to an elderly neighbor, or breaking a cookie in half to share with a younger brother.—
Catherine Newman,
Parents,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Akhparian asked while patting himself down and feigning to be in search of a weapon.—
Linh Tat,
Daily News,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The toothpaste and accelerator systems whiten and improve overall oral wellness simply by brushing for two minutes twice a day.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Removing the jewelry when taking part in sports is also recommended, along with brushing twice per day and not skipping routine dental visits.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Those generally start off with more equity exposure early on and then become more conservative over time as the target date for tapping the money approaches.—
Jessica Dickler,Kate Dore, CFP®, EA,
CNBC,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Thitikul made a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th to break away from a four-way tie for the lead, then saw her eagle chip just slide past the hole on 18 before tapping in for a birdie.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Feb. 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
“Palpating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/palpating. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
