Library / English Dictionary

HUGGING

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 ("hugging" is a kind of...):

arousal; foreplay; stimulation (mutual sexual fondling prior to sexual intercourse)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "hugging"):

snogging ((British informal) cuddle and kiss)

Derivation:

hug (hold (someone) tightly in your arms, usually with fondness)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

-ing form of the verb hug

Credits

 Context examples: 

Of my going into the gallery for Peggotty to bring her to sign it; of Peggotty's hugging me in a corner, and telling me she saw my own dear mother married; of its being over, and our going away.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Jo gave her sister an encouraging pat on the shoulder as they parted for the day, each going a different way, each hugging her little warm turnover, and each trying to be cheerful in spite of wintry weather, hard work, and the unsatisfied desires of pleasure-loving youth.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)