caress
Americannoun
-
caresses
plural
verb (used with object)
-
caresses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
caressed,
past participle, past
-
caressing
present participle
-
to touch, pat, or stroke gently to show affection.
-
to touch or seem to touch lightly.
The breeze caressed the trees.
-
to treat with favor, kindness, etc.
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
caresssimple
-
caressessimple
-
have caressedperfect
-
has caressedperfect
-
am caressingprogressive
-
are caressingprogressive
-
is caressingprogressive
-
have been caressingperfect progressive
-
has been caressingperfect progressive
Past
-
caressedsimple
-
had caressedperfect
-
was caressingprogressive
-
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:
Instead of the full-throated, Pavarotti-style belt that’s common in this repertoire, Mr. Pati makes a familiar song like “O sole mio” as gentle as a caress.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2025
Longley said: "The first thing you notice here is the silence, and the caress of the sea air."
From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2024
“Sometimes she’ll say, ‘Mariella,’ and she’ll caress my hand,” the pre-K teacher says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2023
“I, too, need Jesus to caress me,” Francis said.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 2, 2023
“I love you, Will,” Evy assured him in her soft tender voice that was a caress in itself.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
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
D’Angelo asks that question — worries it, caresses it, plumbs its unseen depths — no fewer than two dozen times in what might have been his signature hit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2025
Within sight of the fierce flames Mohammed Atris caresses the fresh green shoots that cover his land.
From BBC ● Dec. 26, 2022
He gathers my hair into his hands and caresses the back of my neck before letting the lei fall into place.
From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
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
"She quietly passed away as if asleep while I caressed her," Atsuko Sato wrote on her blog, thanking Kabosu's fans.
From BBC ● May 24, 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
“They’ll get cuddled and caressed — the cats will be happy,” she said.
From New York Times ● Jun. 20, 2023
His fingers caressed the smooth leather of the binding as he took it back and slipped it under the breadbox.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
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
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
Her prose is exact and exquisite, as when describing Clare: “The soft white face, the bright hair, the disturbing scarlet mouth, the dreaming eyes, the caressing smile, the whole torturing loveliness.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 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
A couple scary images tumbled through my brain, but they were just loose background stuff barely resonating behind the throb of the music and the steady lick of cool air caressing my skin.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
