as in to caress
to touch or handle in a tender or loving manner
a cat who enjoys being fondled by his loving owners
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fondle
Verb
-
The Argentina captain caressed the ball and laid it softly on the Hard Rock Stadium grass.—
Felipe Cardenas,
New York Times,
15 June 2025 -
Groff sang his song as Reeves looked into the camera with wide eyes and at one point, reached down to caress Reeves’ chest and face.—
Alli Rosenbloom,
CNN Money,
8 June 2025
Verb
-
Slim promptly pockets and pats them for safekeeping.—
Jennifer Leigh Parker,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
-
Brinkley recounts that Billy made his way over to the piano and patted the bench.—
Richard Johnson,
New York Daily News,
20 July 2025
Verb
-
The Marlins jumped out to a quick lead in the first inning Tuesday when Otto Lopez stroked a two-out single and scored on a throwing error after Ramírez’s infield single.—
Steve Gorten,
Miami Herald,
23 July 2025
-
Nineteen seconds later, her pass from below the basket went out to Collier, who calmly stroked another trey for a 12-point cushion.—
Mike Cook,
Twin Cities,
15 July 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Fondle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fondle. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share