pawing

verb

present participle of paw
as in nuzzling

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pawing
  1. nuzzling
  2. rubbing
  3. stroking
  4. caressing
  5. fondling
  6. kissing
  7. hugging
  8. nudging
Verb
  • West begins nuzzling her, and the two kiss.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 20 May 2026
  • In the end, an Australian photographer claimed the top prize for capturing a tender moment of elephant seal pups nuzzling in a rockpool.
    — Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
Definition of nuzzling
Verb
  • Republicans are rubbing their hands in glee at the neocommunist advance in their opposing party.
    — Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Rather than rubbing the stain deeper into the fabric, blotting motions will gently remove as much product as possible.
    — Jamie Cuccinelli, Martha Stewart, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of rubbing
Verb
  • There was only one other visitor, another mother stroking another small head.
    — Fran Moreland Johns, The Atlantic, 11 May 2026
  • Alongside Cruise feeding and stroking his dying cat while walking around his mansion with his gut hanging out, there are shots of planes readying for battle and collapsing polar ice caps.
    — Brent Lang, Variety, 15 Apr. 2026
Definition of stroking
Verb
  • In the snap, Portman, who’s expecting her third baby, her first with partner Tanguy Destable, could be seen standing in front of an apartment balcony in an oversized blue button-down, caressing her stomach.
    — Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026
  • Pulling out the rocket launcher Mac had bought him on the dark web, Dennis was genuinely overcome, caressing his bucket-list war weapon in stunned gratitude, while Mac beamed in what, on any other show, would be heartwarming friendship.
    — Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 28 July 2026
Definition of caressing
Verb
  • The day before, he was accused of kissing and fondling a 15-year-old girl who was on the team, KTUL reported.
    — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 26 July 2026
  • On the same day Gilson sought protection, the mother of a 15-year-old girl filed a separate protective order alleging Duffey, a youth basketball coach, was seen kissing and fondling the teen while alone with her.
    — Staff reports, Oklahoman, 25 July 2026
Definition of fondling
Verb
  • The Chad Powers star included a snapshot of the actress dancing, as well as a photo of the pair kissing.
    — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Stewart and Meyer hard-launched their romance back in 2019, when Meyer shared a Polaroid picture of them kissing via Instagram.
    — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of kissing
Verb
  • The dress in question was an inky black number that featured a delicate lace bodice, a super plunging neckline with a layer of sheer fabric, a figure-hugging silhouette, and an opaque floor-grazing skirt.
    — Christina Perrier, InStyle, 14 Aug. 2026
  • On the final day of shooting, Chandrasekhar remembered that everyone was hugging each other goodbye.
    — Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of hugging
Verb
  • Suddenly, listings could reach far beyond the local neighborhood, nudging open the door to what had long been a niche corner of second-hand shopping.
    — Zoey Goto, Architectural Digest, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The instruments and rhythms dance with Lenae’s sinuous vocals, nudging her into odd pockets, uplifting her notes.
    — Stephen Kearse, Pitchfork, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of nudging
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.

Browse Nearby Words

pawed
pawing
pawky
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pawing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pawing. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on pawing

Nglish: Translation of pawing for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All