sex play

American  

noun

1. erotic caressing, especially as a prelude to sexual intercourse; foreplay.

---

Etymology

Origin of sex play

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

When a sweet, handsome fellow who’d rather not engage in the rough sex play she wants says, “I want to know your mind,” Margaret pitilessly retorts, “No, you don’t.”

From Los Angeles Times

The politically progressive trio — who lived together and parented four children together in the 1930s and 1940s — eventually discovered sex play in the world of bondage, whose accoutrements of whips, cuffs and form-fitting corsets became Wonder Woman’s chief signifiers.

From Washington Post

At first, this seems to be a form of sex play.

From New York Times

And then there’s that secret high-price brothel in which the women swan around in masks and the young princeling is glimpsed mid-50 shades of sex play.

From Los Angeles Times

As a bridging mechanism, consider initiating some sex play that is similar to your earlier style: you can still make an erotic call, even if you are in the same house.

From The Guardian