pawing

Definition of pawingnext
present participle of paw

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pawing
Verb
  • In the end, an Australian photographer claimed the top prize for capturing a tender moment of elephant seal pups nuzzling in a rockpool.
    Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
  • The video shows his two pet dogs, with a mutt named Thunder in the lead, nuzzling open a sliding door to get outside into the yard.
    CBS News, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • The slightly higher cut helps prevent sneakers from rubbing your ankle or the top of your foot.
    Malia Griggs, Glamour, 31 Mar. 2026
  • So, the timing for Mortensen to be making his second show debut right as his ex’s is being pulled off the air is rubbing fans the wrong way.
    Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 30 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • At first, Hanke thought Miyabi was just stroking his ego.
    Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register, 25 Mar. 2026
  • She was later reunited with her dog, stroking him in stunned silence before being taken to the hospital.
    Danielle Bacher, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • 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
Verb
  • Worse is to come as Waaler insists on creepily fondling her cooling corpse — and makes Hole to do the same.
    K.J. Yossman, Variety, 27 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The two confirmed their relationship in the fall of 2021 after paparazzi photos leaked of the pair kissing inside a car.
    Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
  • In the clip, jointly posted to their Instagram accounts, the NFL player could be seen kissing the Sinners star's bare belly.
    Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Bay Harbor consists of two islands hugging the Broad Causeway, which stretches just west of Bal Harbour to North Miami.
    Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 31 Mar. 2026
  • In the photo, Martin can be seen hugging her cast members on stage while holding a bouquet of flowers and a handful of wigs.
    Emma Banks, InStyle, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Broward Supervisor of Elections Joe Scott is nudging cities to move away from March.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2026
  • In practical terms, those hedging flows have acted like a magnet, nudging Bitcoin higher while capping gains.
    Sidhartha Shukla, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Pawing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pawing. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.

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