caress
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
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to touch, pat, or stroke gently to show affection.
-
to touch or seem to touch lightly.
The breeze caressed the trees.
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to treat with favor, kindness, etc.
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
caresssimple
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caressessimple
-
have caressedperfect
-
has caressedperfect
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am caressingprogressive
-
are caressingprogressive
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is caressingprogressive
-
have been caressingperfect progressive
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has been caressingperfect progressive
Past
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caressedsimple
-
had caressedperfect
-
was caressingprogressive
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were caressingprogressive
-
had been caressingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of caress
First recorded in 1605–15; from French caresse, from Italian carezza, from unattested Vulgar Latin caritia, equivalent to Latin cār(us) “dear” + -itia suffix of abstract nouns; cf. charity
Explanation
To caress someone or something means to stroke it gently in a loving or affectionate manner. Don't you love to caress the soft fur of your pet hamster or cat? The word caress can be either a verb or a noun, both of which refer primarily to the affectionate petting or stroking of another. You can also use caress to mean any sort of kind or loving action, and it can be accomplished by things other than people. The soft wind can caress your skin as you walk towards the ocean’s edge. And who doesn't love the caress of smooth silk sheets against your skin when you get into bed?!
Vocabulary lists containing caress
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
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The Secret Life of Bees
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"The Moustache" and "Who We Really Are"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
His left hand clutches a silver teapot in a gesture midway between a caress and a grasp.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
Longley said: "The first thing you notice here is the silence, and the caress of the sea air."
From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2024
Unlike in civilian life, where puppies often get food treats, in the military the only prize for a job well done is a caress and some praise.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 1, 2023
“Sometimes she’ll say, ‘Mariella,’ and she’ll caress my hand,” the pre-K teacher says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2023
Then he turned the water off and lifted his hand to caress the wet leaves.
From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez
A stable is secured, and the mare, who senses that something strange is going on, is indulged with apples and caresses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026
In Ain Ebel's cemetery, Jallad caresses her son's tombstone, surrounded by women trying to comfort her.
From Barron's ● Mar. 16, 2026
We see Ella Fitzgerald at New York’s Basin Street East in the mid-1950s; her eyes closed, she gently leans into a microphone that she caresses with both hands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
He grew up playing street football in the suburbs of Stockholm and there is still an element of that to his playing style now, with the way he caresses the ball and his dribbling ability.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2025
She was still in tears when her husband came and even his caresses could not check them.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Beside her, occasionally caressed by the women, stood eight-year-old Mustafa, his expression as fragile as glass.
From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2026
Two girls, their faces streaked with tears, gently caressed the face of a dead man, wrapped in a sheet with a floral motif, and then hugged each other tightly.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2025
One study even showed that healthy young adults who caressed a robotic baby seal were happier, and felt less pain from a mild heat stimulus, than those who read an article about an astronomer.
From New York Times ● Apr. 8, 2024
The reunion ended up going viral for a whole ’nother reason after the “Saturday Night Fever” star caressed and cupped Menzel’s face.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 4, 2024
The housekeeper, Anya, came out the kitchen door and caressed Ash’s hair.
From "Ash" by Malinda Lo
The couple posed for photos at the event, drawing attention to their gestating bundle of joy by framing and caressing Palvin’s belly.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026
I even ponied up for a pay-per-view a few years back to see Mayweather spend eight rounds gently caressing Jake’s overmatched older brother, Logan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026
Jareth is an illusionist as beguiling and seductive as he is sinister, caressing bubbles and gravity-defiant glass spheres with liquid grace.
From Salon ● Jan. 24, 2026
With the cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, he shows them off beautifully, caressing them in light so that they look lit from within.
From New York Times ● Apr. 25, 2024
She pictured Grandfather, the blue-veined hands caressing the leather bindings, and she knew that he had not cherished his books with any thought of improving his sinful nature.
From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
