masturbate

American  

[mas-ter-beyt] / ˈmæs tərˌbeɪt /

verb (used without object)

masturbates, present (3rd person singular) masturbated, past participle, past masturbating present participle

1. to engage in masturbation.

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verb (used with object)

masturbates, present (3rd person singular) masturbated, past participle, past masturbating present participle

1. to practice masturbation upon.

masturbate British  

/ ˈmæstəˌbeɪt /

verb

1. to stimulate the genital organs of (oneself or another) to achieve sexual pleasure

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• masturbation
  noun
• masturbator
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• masturbating
  present
• masturbated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• masturbate
  simple
• masturbates
  simple
• have masturbated
  perfect
• has masturbated
  perfect
• am masturbating
  progressive
• are masturbating
  progressive
• is masturbating
  progressive
• have been masturbating
  perfect progressive
• has been masturbating
  perfect progressive

Past

• masturbated
  simple
• had masturbated
  perfect
• was masturbating
  progressive
• were masturbating
  progressive
• had been masturbating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will masturbate
  simple
• will have masturbated
  perfect
• will be masturbating
  progressive
• will have been masturbating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of masturbate

1855–60; < Latin masturbātus, past participle of masturbārī to engage in masturbation

Explanation

To masturbate is to stimulate yourself sexually. In other words, to have sex by yourself, with yourself. To masturbate means to have sex with yourself, usually using your hands. If you pick up a slang dictionary, you'll find hundreds and maybe thousands of terms that mean the same thing as masturbate. Those terms are almost all inappropriate, so use them carefully. Some religious traditions think that masturbating is a sin, but most people realize that there's nothing harmful or unusual about masturbating — it's a natural thing that humans do.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

masturbating

There are many ways to be asexual, and it doesn’t necessarily mean not having relationships, not having turn-on’s, not having a sexuality, not masturbating, or having a negative attitude toward sexuality.

From Slate ● Sep. 16, 2020

In court: Former Assemblyman Matt Dababneh filed a defamation lawsuit Tuesday in Sacramento County Superior Court against a lobbyist who accused him of forcing her into a bathroom and masturbating in front of her.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2018