masturbate

[ mas-ter-beyt ]

/ ˈmæs tərˌbeɪt /

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verb (used without object), mas·tur·bat·ed, mas·tur·bat·ing.

to engage in masturbation.

verb (used with object), mas·tur·bat·ed, mas·tur·bat·ing.

to practice masturbation upon.

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Origin of masturbate

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

OTHER WORDS FROM masturbate

mas·tur·ba·tor, noun

Words nearby masturbate

mastoiditis, mastoid process, mastopathy, mastopexy, Mastroianni, masturbate, masturbation, masturbatory, Masur, Masuria, Masurian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use masturbate in a sentence

Shortly after taking off, and while the aircraft was in the air, McGarity exposed his penis by pulling down his pants and shorts and began masturbating.
Southwest Passenger Arrested for Masturbating FOUR Times During Flight|Justin Rohrlich, Pilar Melendez|April 4, 2022|The Daily Beast
Picture college guys in “accountability groups” where they confess and cry about masturbating and vow to try harder to love God.
Cold War Kids’ Nathan Willett: My Evangelical Struggle|Nathan Willett|September 22, 2021|The Daily Beast
Male callers made sexually explicit comments or masturbated over the phone.
The Women on the Other End of the Phone|by Brooke Stephenson|July 29, 2021|ProPublica
A third, afraid to hang up on a customer, didn’t know what to do when she realized a caller was masturbating to the sound of her voice.
“We’re Not Allowed to Hang Up”: The Harsh Reality of Working in Customer Service|by Ariana Tobin, Ken Armstrong and Justin Elliott, illustrations by Laila Milevski|July 21, 2021|ProPublica

In one early case, an employee alleged that the network’s executive producer masturbated in front of two women.
At Golf Channel, women say, sexism fuels a ‘boys’ club’ culture|Ben Strauss|March 4, 2021|Washington Post

British Dictionary definitions for masturbate

masturbate

/ (ˈmæstəˌbeɪt) /

verb

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

Derived forms of masturbate

masturbation, nounmasturbator, noun

Word Origin for masturbate

C19: from Latin masturbārī, of unknown origin; formerly thought to be derived from manus hand + stuprāre to defile

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