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:
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
One woman paused before the display and raised her hand to caress an image.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2025
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
He felt a caress on his cheek; he wanted to turn his face into it.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
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
She spots amaranth and caresses the diamond-shaped green leaves, commonly known as pigweed in English.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2024
She picks up a doll with red hair and caresses it gently.
From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2023
“I loved a man who was forbidden to me. I enjoyed his caresses, then married him in secret. He renounced me and now he is dead. All of my family is dead.”
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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
Not every chicken wants to be held, but many enjoy perching on a human shoulder or plopping down in an open lap to be caressed.
From Salon ● May 10, 2023
I reached with my left hand and caressed Adam’s head as if it were the scroll of my cello.
From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
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
His opener - the competition's fastest goal so far - had the hallmarks of a player who had regained his confidence, taking a touch and caressing a fine finish into the far corner.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2025
I no longer notice the flashes of lime green tape caressing door frames, encircling bathroom floors and smothering naked outlets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2024
“Ooh, I’ll take the blue one,” Carolyn added, caressing the dress with her finger.
From "Stella by Starlight" by Sharon M. Draper
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.
