Standard Lemma guide

caress

noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /kəˈɹɛs/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛs
  • CMU ARPABET: K ER0 EH1 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An act of endearment; any act or expression of affection; an embracing, or touching, with tenderness.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A gentle stroking or rubbing.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To touch or kiss lovingly; to fondle.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • She loves being caressed by her boyfriend.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hold, soothe, stroke, kiss, canoodle, caress, chuckle, coax, cosset, dally, dandle, dawt, faddle, feel up, fond, fondle, grabble, grope, nantle, pet, pettle, shift, smuggle, tiddle, touch up, worship, buss, goozer, lallygag, lips, lock lips, osculate, pash, play tonsil hockey, smooch, snog, suck face, swap spit

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To affect as if with a caress.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a gentle affectionate stroking (or something resembling it)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he showered her with caresses
  • soft music was a fond caress
  • the caresses of the breeze played over his face

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: stroke, stroking

6

verb

Meaning 6

touch or stroke lightly in a loving or endearing manner

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • He caressed her face
  • They fondled in the back seat of the taxi

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fondle

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: stroke

Narrower terms: paw, grope, dandle, pet, chuck, pat, nuzzle, nose, tickle

History

Etymology

From French caresse, from Italian carezza (“dear”), from Latin cārus (“dear”), from Proto-Indo-European *keh2-, akin to Sanskrit काम (kāma, “love”). Doublet of karezza.

Across languages

Translations

153 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: ла́ска (láska) — endearment
  • Central Bikol: hapros — endearment
  • Dutch: strelen — endearment
  • German: Liebkosung — endearment
  • German: Umarmung — endearment
  • Hungarian: kedveskedés — endearment
  • Hungarian: gyengédség — endearment
  • Hungarian: átölelés — endearment
  • Hungarian: dédelgetés — endearment
  • Polish: pieszczota — endearment
  • Russian: ла́ска (láska) — endearment
  • Ukrainian: ла́ска (láska) — endearment
  • Welsh: llawch — endearment
  • Azerbaijani: sığal — gentle stroking
  • Central Bikol: hapros — gentle stroking
  • Bulgarian: милувка (miluvka) — gentle stroking
  • Dutch: strelen — gentle stroking
  • Esperanto: kareso — gentle stroking
  • Galician: cariño — gentle stroking
  • Galician: caricia — gentle stroking
  • German: Streicheln — gentle stroking
  • Ancient Greek: ἔφαψις (éphapsis) — gentle stroking
  • Ancient Greek: ψαῦσμα (psaûsma) — gentle stroking
  • Hungarian: cirógatás — gentle stroking
  • Hungarian: simogatás — gentle stroking
  • Japanese: 愛撫 — gentle stroking
  • Korean: 애무 (aemu) — gentle stroking
  • Russian: погла́живание (pogláživanije) — gentle stroking
  • Russian: ла́ска (láska) — gentle stroking
  • Spanish: caricia — gentle stroking
  • Spanish: carantoña — gentle stroking
  • Welsh: anwes — gentle stroking
  • Welsh: llawch — gentle stroking
  • Albanian: ledhatoj — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Albanian: përkëdhel — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Arabic: لَاطَفَ (lāṭafa) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Armenian: գգվել (ggvel) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Armenian: շոյել (šoyel) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Azerbaijani: oxşamaq — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Azerbaijani: əzizləmək — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Azerbaijani: nəvaziş etmək — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Azerbaijani: nazlamaq — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Azerbaijani: sığal çəkmək — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Azerbaijani: sığallamaq — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Azerbaijani: tumarlamaq — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Belarusian: ла́шчыць (láščycʹ) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Belarusian: пе́сціць (pjéscicʹ) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Belarusian: галубі́ць (halubícʹ) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Belarusian: гла́дзіць (hládzicʹ) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Central Bikol: hapros — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Bulgarian: ми́лвам (mílvam) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Bulgarian: ласка́я (laskája) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Catalan: acariciar — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Catalan: acaronar — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Chinese Mandarin: 愛撫 /爱抚 (àifǔ) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Czech: laskat — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Czech: hladit — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Czech: pohladit — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Danish: kærtegne — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Dutch: liefkozen — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Esperanto: intimumi — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Esperanto: (pri tuŝado) karesi — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Finnish: hyväillä — touch or kiss lovingly
  • French: caresser — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Galician: acariñar — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Galician: aloumiñar — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Galician: acariciar — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Galician: afagar — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Galician: cofar — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Gallurese: carignà — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Gallurese: accaritzà — touch or kiss lovingly
  • German: liebkosen — touch or kiss lovingly
  • German: kosen — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Greek: χαϊδεύω (chaïdévo) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Greek: θωπεύω (thopévo) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Hindi: हाथ फेरना (hāth phernā) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Hindi: सहलाना (sahlānā) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Hindi: दुलारना (dulārnā) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Hindi: प्यार करना (pyār karnā) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Hindi: लाड़ करना (lāṛ karnā) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Hindi: लाड़ लड़ाना (lāṛ laṛānā) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Hindi: पुचकारना (puckārnā) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Hungarian: cirógat — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Hungarian: simogat — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Hungarian: dédelget — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Hungarian: átölel — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Indonesian: elus — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Indonesian: membelai — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Irish: muirnigh — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Irish: slíoc — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Italian: accarezzare — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Japanese: 愛撫する (aibu suru) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Korean: 어루만지다 (eorumanjida) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Korean: 매만지다 (maemanjida) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Korean: 애무하다 (aemuhada) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Kumyk: аявламакъ (ayawlamaq) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Latin: palpō — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Latin: mulceō — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Latin: contrectō — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Latvian: glāstīt — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Luxembourgish: heemelen — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Macedonian: милува (miluva) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Macedonian: гали (gali) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Macedonian: мази (mazi) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Māori: mori — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Māori: morimori — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Māori: takamori — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Persian: نوازش کردن (navâzeš kardan) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Polish: pieścić — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Polish: głaskać — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Portuguese: acariciar — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Quechua: waylluy — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Romanian: dezmierda — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Romanian: alinta — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Romanian: mângâia — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Russian: ласка́ть (laskátʹ) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Russian: гла́дить (gláditʹ) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Russian: голу́бить (golúbitʹ) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Russian: милова́ть (milovátʹ) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Campidanese Sardinian: accaritziai — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Campidanese Sardinian: carignai — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Sardinian: accarissiare — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Sardinian: carignare — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Sassarese: carignà — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Sassarese: imbirrià — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Serbo-Croatian: ми̏ловати — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Serbo-Croatian: mȉlovati — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Sicilian: allisciari — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Slovak: hladiť — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Slovene: ljubkovati — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Slovene: božati — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Southern Altai: окшоор (okšoor) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Spanish: acariciar — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Spanish: franelear — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Spanish: apapachar — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Spanish: apapuchar — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Spanish: cachondear — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Swedish: smeka — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Thai: เชยชม (chəəi-chom) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Thai: เชย (chəəi) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Turkish: okşamak — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Ukrainian: ласка́ти (laskáty) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Ukrainian: пе́стити (péstyty) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Ukrainian: пести́ти (pestýty) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Ukrainian: пе́стувати (péstuvaty) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Ukrainian: голу́бити (holúbyty) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Ukrainian: милува́ти (myluváty) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Ukrainian: гла́дити (hládyty) — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Vietnamese: vuốt ve — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Vietnamese: mơn trớn — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Volapük: löfülön — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Welsh: anwesu — touch or kiss lovingly
  • Welsh: llochi — touch or kiss lovingly