as in to pat
to touch or handle in a tender or loving manner
gently caressed her hair
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Recent Examples of caress
The basis of the important therapy stems from studies showing that holding and caressing an animal provides benefits such as relaxation, lower blood pressure, decreasing anxiety, and increasing positivity, according to the news release.
—
Dawn Giangiulio, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
Williams knows how to humanize this bare-bones vocabulary, minutely adjusting the voicing of a chord or caressing the last of a set of recurring motifs with a regretful ritardando.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
The actor followed her around at several events related to the wedding, eventually caressing the back of her arm and pressing his knee against hers under the table.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Jan. 2026
The 39-year-old Nigerian-British actress hit the first official awards show of the season, donning a canary yellow gown and caressing her bump as the cameras flashed.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 11 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for caress
Dawn Giangiulio, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
Williams knows how to humanize this bare-bones vocabulary, minutely adjusting the voicing of a chord or caressing the last of a set of recurring motifs with a regretful ritardando.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
The actor followed her around at several events related to the wedding, eventually caressing the back of her arm and pressing his knee against hers under the table.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Jan. 2026
The 39-year-old Nigerian-British actress hit the first official awards show of the season, donning a canary yellow gown and caressing her bump as the cameras flashed.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 11 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for caress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for caress
Verb
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Indiana Pacers executive vice president and assistant GM Ted Wu, sitting to Winger’s left, patted Winger on the back.—
Josh Robbins,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
And the guy very kindly patted us on the back and said, ‘That’s not how this works.—
Seija Rankin,
HollywoodReporter,
9 May 2026
Verb
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There was only one other visitor, another mother stroking another small head.—
Fran Moreland Johns,
The Atlantic,
11 May 2026
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On that bed my mother would stroke my hair and hands.—
Chiara Barzini,
Vogue,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Caress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/caress. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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