pawing

Definition of pawingnext
present participle of paw

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pawing
Verb
  • 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
  • The Saint Bernards gently lie down beside him, licking and nuzzling him affectionately.
    Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Finally, disinfect the tools by wiping the blades with a cloth dampened with isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol.
    Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 10 Feb. 2026
  • When the hook comes back around, he’s still posted in that corner, this time rubbing his hands together like a Birdman reaction gif.
    Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 10 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • She was later reunited with her dog, stroking him in stunned silence before being taken to the hospital.
    Danielle Bacher, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
  • At one point Eliot entered the TV room and found Abby with her head on Claire’s lap, Claire stroking her hair.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • 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
Verb
  • The heat is kissing 90 degrees on a mid-October Friday in Austin, where Bobby Epstein is giving a Jurassic Park-style media tour through the perpetually under construction Circuit of the Americas (COTA) racing grounds.
    Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 10 Feb. 2026
  • There are so many benefits to kissing.
    Susan Spencer, CBS News, 8 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The new Fast & Furious coaster that has been revving its engines during test runs around the hillside-hugging track will soon get the green flag to officially start racing with thrill seekers on board at Universal Studios Hollywood.
    Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Available in 19 versatile washes, these hip-hugging jeans gradually flare out to a bootcut leg.
    Cheryl Wagemann, InStyle, 5 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The former is a ring on the bottom of the rock that skids across the ice, and the latter is a band around the sides of the rock that collides with other rocks (ideally knocking an opponent’s rock off the bull’s-eye or nudging your team’s closer to it).
    Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Shared decision-making tools that present options in balanced, comprehensible formats can support informed choice without nudging patients toward any particular decision.
    Jared Rhoads, STAT, 10 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • All seems normal with this new potential job until the woman conducting the interview subtly reveals bruises on her arms and, not so subtly, starts fingering her kitchen knives.
    Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Dec. 2025
  • Using a fingering yarn when a knitting pattern specifies DK means your garment will end up much too small.
    BestReviews, Mercury News, 23 Sep. 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.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pawing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pawing. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on pawing

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!