as in to pat
to touch or handle in a tender or loving manner
gently caressed her hair
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of caress
The men caress fruit, sometimes toying with a stem on their tongue.
—
Leah Asmelash, CNN, 9 Mar. 2025
But Gallardo clandestinely documented her experience there; in the exhibition, a short, lo-fi video shows her hands slowly caressing those of Estela, an ailing senior citizen and former street worker who lived at Casa Xochiquetzal.
—Fabiola Iza, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2025
On Valentines Day, Rihanna sat with Mayers during another break, gently caressing his cheek while the couple sat on a courtroom bench, surrounded by beefy security guards.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 18 Feb. 2025
Loving caresses, shared laughing and group singing release a flood of native feel-good opioids.
—Moises Velasquez-Manoff Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Zak Mouton, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for caress
Leah Asmelash, CNN, 9 Mar. 2025
But Gallardo clandestinely documented her experience there; in the exhibition, a short, lo-fi video shows her hands slowly caressing those of Estela, an ailing senior citizen and former street worker who lived at Casa Xochiquetzal.
—Fabiola Iza, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2025
On Valentines Day, Rihanna sat with Mayers during another break, gently caressing his cheek while the couple sat on a courtroom bench, surrounded by beefy security guards.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 18 Feb. 2025
Loving caresses, shared laughing and group singing release a flood of native feel-good opioids.
—Moises Velasquez-Manoff Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Zak Mouton, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for caress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for caress
Verb
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On the red carpet at the 76th EE BAFTA Film Awards in February 2023, Kate playfully patted William's butt with a light love tap.—
Christopher Rudolph,
People.com,
29 Apr. 2025
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Oh, and guys named John Elway, Dan Marino and Tom Brady were among others who patted the ball before throwing.—
Terence Moore,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
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But at the moment that Prima completed the unravelling of the braid and stroked her fingers through to the ends of her hair, Heiss stopped speaking.—
Lillian Fishman,
New Yorker,
4 May 2025
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The singer announced the news on his Instagram with a video of himself and his newborn daughter, holding his baby girl's hand and sweetly stroking her fingers.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Caress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/caress. Accessed 18 May. 2025.
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