fondle - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
From fond (“love, admire”) + -le (frequentative suffix).
fondle (third-person singular simple present fondles, present participle fondling, simple past and past participle fondled)
- (transitive) To touch or stroke lovingly.
- Synonyms: dandle, pet, touch up; see also Thesaurus:fondle
Mothers fondle their babies.
- (transitive) To grasp.
- Synonyms: clutch, grab, nim; see also Thesaurus:grasp
The lovers fondled each other.
to touch or stroke lovingly
- Albanian: ledhatoj (sq), përkëdhel (sq)
- Arabic: لَاطَفَ (lāṭafa), رَبَتَ (rabata)
- Bulgarian: милвам (bg) (milvam), галя (bg) (galja)
- Catalan: acaronar (ca), acariciar (ca)
- Chinese:
- Czech: laskat (cs)
- Dutch: liefkozen (nl)
- Esperanto: karesi (eo)
- Finnish: hyväillä (fi), kosketella (fi)
- French: caresser (fr)
- Galician: afagar, acariñar (gl), aloumiñar (gl), acariciar (gl)
- German: liebkosen (de), kosen (de)
- Irish: muirnigh
- Italian: accarezzare (it), avvinghiarsi
- Japanese: 愛撫する (ja) (あいぶする, aibu suru), 可愛がる (ja) (kawaigaru)
- Korean: 어르다 (ko) (eoreuda)
- Latin: subigitō, contrectō
- Maori: mori, takamori, whakatākohekohe
- Portuguese: acariciar (pt)
- Romanian: dezmierda (ro), mângâia (ro)
- Russian: ласка́ть (ru) impf (laskátʹ), гла́дить (ru) impf (gláditʹ) (stroke), ти́скать (ru) (tískatʹ) (squeeze)
- Slovene: crkljati
- Spanish: acariciar (es)
- Swedish: smeka (sv), kela med
- Telugu: నిమురు (te) (nimuru)
- Welsh: llochi
- Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “fondle”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
fondle (plural fondles)
- A caress.
I gave the sleeping dog's ears a fondle as I walked past.