caress

Word family

ca·ress1 /kəˈres/ verb [transitiveT]

1 TOUCH especially literary to touch someone gently in a way that shows you love them 爱抚，抚摸 SYN stroke

His hands gently caressed her body.

他的双手温柔地抚摸着她的身体。

► see thesaurus at touch

2 TOUCH literary to touch something gently, in a way that seems pleasant or romantic 轻触，轻拍

Waves caressed the shore.

波浪轻轻拍打着海岸。

Examples from the Corpus

caress• Looming over the Everqueen it reached out to caress her cheek with its claw.• He began caressing her with a surprising gentleness.• She wanted so much to hold, touch, and caress her.• Barbara held the tiny baby close and caressed his cheek.• She was caressing his face when the phone rang, making them both jump a little.• Stan lovingly caressed my cheek.• The sunlight caressed the crimson and white chrysanthemums in the abandoned courtyard.• Cameras caress them from every angle.• Their hands - podgy, thin, freckled or pale - touched everything, prodding, caressing, tickling, squeezing.

caress2 noun [countableC] especially literary

TOUCHa gentle touch or kiss that shows you love someone 爱抚，抚摸；亲吻

Examples from the Corpus

caress• So light a caress to do so much!• He observed naughtily, subtly, wittily, passively, on occasion with a feline caress.• Suddenly it was no longer enough to accept his caresses without responding.• There was no inhuman obscene caress, no acid caking on her flesh.• Her body was a new one under his sensual caresses, reborn for this man who held her heart.• Yet the caress of his meaning was delicate as the first green fronds of spring.• Skye stood by the hotel bus, basking in the unfamiliar caress.

Origin caress2