| Library / English Dictionary |
CARESSING
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Affectionate play (or foreplay without contact with the genital organs)
Synonyms:
caressing; cuddling; fondling; hugging; kissing; necking; petting; smooching; snuggling
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("caressing" is a kind of...):
arousal; foreplay; stimulation (mutual sexual fondling prior to sexual intercourse)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "caressing"):
snogging ((British informal) cuddle and kiss)
II. (verb)
Sense 1
-ing form of the verb caress
Context examples:
And here is my sweet little Annamaria, she added, tenderly caressing a little girl of three years old, who had not made a noise for the last two minutes; And she is always so gentle and quiet—Never was there such a quiet little thing!
(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)
He broke into a trot, and Madge's lips pursed, forming an avenue for the caressing sound that it was the will of her to send forth. But the caressing sound was not made.
(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)
She showed it in the proud humility of her eyes, in every caressing movement of her proudly carried body, and in the way she hung upon his speech.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
She possessed a gentle, caressing tongue that soothed him when it passed over his soft little body, and that impelled him to snuggle close against her and to doze off to sleep.
(White Fang, by Jack London)
It was as if I had seen Dora, in all her fascinating artlessness, caressing Agnes, and thanking her, and coaxingly appealing against me, and loving me with all her childish innocence.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
A pat and a rub around the ears from the man, and a more prolonged caressing from the woman, and he was away down the trail in front of them, gliding effortlessly over the ground in true wolf fashion.
(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)
But there was no caressing answer of Martin's lips.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
A kind word, a caressing touch of the hand, on the part of Grey Beaver, might have sounded these deeps; but Grey Beaver did not caress, nor speak kind words.
(White Fang, by Jack London)
I fell upon my knees before the sofa, caressing her, and imploring her not to rend my heart; but, for some time, poor little Dora did nothing but exclaim Oh dear! Oh dear! And oh, she was so frightened!
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
The hand caressing his hair paused perceptibly, then went on with the same gentle stroke.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
