caressing

Other forms of caressing

plural

caressings·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about caressing

What does caressing mean?

caressing means "affectionate play (or foreplay without contact with the genital organs)".

How many syllables are in caressing?

caressing has 3 syllables: ca-res-sing. The stress falls on "res". In IPA it is /kɚˈɛsɪŋ/.

What is another word for caressing?

Close synonyms include cuddling, fondling, hugging, kissing, necking. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is caressing a common word?

caressing is banded "Uncommon" — turns up in careful writing rather than conversation. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.