caressed; caressing; caresses
1
: to treat with tokens of fondness, affection, or kindness : cherish
the regiment was fed and caressed at station after station—
Stephen Crane
Stephen Crane2
a
: to touch or stroke lightly in a loving or endearing manner
She caressed the baby's cheek.
b
: to touch or affect as if with a caress
echoes that caress the ear
caresser
noun
1
: an act or expression of kindness or affection : endearment
when the gifts and caresses of mankind shall recompense the toils of study—Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson2
a
: a light stroking, rubbing, or patting
a gentle caress of her shoulder
b
: kiss
She gave him a parting caress.
caressively
adverb
Examples of caress in a Sentence
Verb
She caressed the baby's cheek.
A warm breeze caressed her face.
Noun
She gave the baby's cheek a gentle caress.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jon Pareles, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Breaths that came as strong as fingers caressed me, travelling the length of me, beginning to tease and probe.
—Hazlitt, 12 Mar. 2025
Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Mar. 2025
Sensing her distress, Michael pulled her into a comforting hug, and a face caress… which turned into a long, passionate, yearning kiss.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for caress
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Verb
With her usual mastery of dynamics, Laferte starts out sweetly caressing each phrase.
—Jon Pareles, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Breaths that came as strong as fingers caressed me, travelling the length of me, beginning to tease and probe.
—Hazlitt, 12 Mar. 2025
Noun
There was something almost baptismal about stepping into the flow, which had originated in the hills east of Rome and soon enveloped me up to the waist in an icy caress.
—Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Mar. 2025
Sensing her distress, Michael pulled her into a comforting hug, and a face caress… which turned into a long, passionate, yearning kiss.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for caress
Cite this Entry
“Caress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caress. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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