pawing

present participle of paw

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pawing
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
Verb
  • Coat the exterior of the pork with 2 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice, rubbing it into the meat.
    Kate Williams, AJC.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Avoid rubbing, as this can push the stain deeper into the material.
    Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 3 Aug. 2026
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
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
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
Verb
  • The brother-sister duo made headlines at that ceremony for kissing on the lips on the red carpet.
    Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Jones is accused of committing nine offenses against the man, including kissing him multiple times without consent and touching the man’s genitals while the man was driving.
    ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The couple didn’t shy away from PDA and were photographed kissing, hugging and laughing.
    Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 6 Aug. 2026
  • While the coaster’s wheel assembly can be seen hugging the side of the track to secure it in place on cars 1, 4, and 5, the same wheel mechanism isn’t visible on the side of the track under cars 2 and 3.
    Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • On Thursday, July 30, Miami also soared to 96, nudging out a 95-degree hot weather record set in 2015.
    Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
  • The work consisted of small decisions made in rapid succession, each one nudging the encyclopedia closer to order.
    Carson Griffith, New Yorker, 30 July 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.

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Cite this Entry

“Pawing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pawing. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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