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
Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 28 Jan. 2025
The designer had uploaded a video to Instagram stories, caressing the sides of a £1,390 cami from her spring/summer 2025 collection, while packing for the holidays.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 2 Jan. 2025
Stacia Datskovska, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019
And remember, sometimes a caress is much more powerful than a punch.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for caress 
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Verb
The camera lingers during these moments — made wistful by the music of wind caressing the tree leaves, and by Vikas Urs’ gorgeous landscape cinematography — as the actors pore over each word, pause and emotion.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 28 Jan. 2025
The designer had uploaded a video to Instagram stories, caressing the sides of a £1,390 cami from her spring/summer 2025 collection, while packing for the holidays.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 2 Jan. 2025
Noun
The Italian cow leather it’s made of is incredibly supple and pleasant to the touch, meaning this bag is bound to receive many indulgent caresses.
—Stacia Datskovska, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019
And remember, sometimes a caress is much more powerful than a punch.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for caress
Dictionary Entries Near caress
Cite this Entry
“Caress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caress. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.
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