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Synonyms

foreplay

American  
[fawr-pley, fohr-] / ˈfɔrˌpleɪ, ˈfoʊr- /

noun

  1. sexual stimulation of one's partner, usually as a prelude to sexual intercourse.

foreplay British  
/ ˈfɔːˌpleɪ /

noun

  1. mutual sexual stimulation preceding sexual intercourse

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of foreplay

First recorded in 1925–30; fore- + play

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.

No foreplay of nuanced chitchat here, just a relentless barrage of aspersions, which led me to the thought: Do I really believe these people sneering their way through this evening?

From New York Times • Dec. 30, 2020

To be clear, nothing in this movie makes any kind of emotional sense; there is zero narrative foreplay.

From Slate • Feb. 10, 2017

A main character dies, and after 16 hours of foreplay The Walking Dead has the arrogance to not even show the audience who it was.

From The Verge • Apr. 4, 2016

More and more, it seems eureka is foreplay for your IPO.

From BusinessWeek • Oct. 2, 2014

I've seen no figures but the reduction of foreplay at the scrum – elbowing the "pause" instruction into touch – feels as though it's resulting in five minutes less scrummaging and more play.

From The Guardian • Sep. 27, 2012

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.