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
-
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
The boy and the mom are beloved, but it’s their own face that each is shown to caress.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2024
Under Lattouf’s caress, the bird relaxes little by little, allowing her to evaluate it.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 8, 2023
Other times I could hear the answer in a low whine or feel it in the soft caress of a warm flicking tongue.
From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls
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
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
Unlike the staged kisses and caresses so far, this gesture seems natural and comforting.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
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
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 battled through the contest and had only one shot on target, which came in the sixth minute when former Toffee Alex Iwobi's caressed shot was batted out by Pickford.
From BBC ● Dec. 19, 2023
“They’ll get cuddled and caressed — the cats will be happy,” she said.
From New York Times ● Jun. 20, 2023
Its lovely wings flapped, and the gentle waves of air it created caressed Nathan’s eyelids.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
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
“I’m lucky I’m from the best country in the world, and we’ve got great dentists there, too,” Hughes said while caressing the gold medal hanging from his neck.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 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
The video, which was partly recorded inside the prison, shows him caressing a fighting cockerel and freely chatting to fellow inmates.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2025
“No, no, I won’t, Mrs. Pontellier. I didn’t know you meant it,” looking up at her with caressing eyes.
From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
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.
