caress
gb/kɚˈɛs/ us/kɚˈɛs/
B2
Englisch
~ 9300
simogat, simogatás, cirógat, dédelget
VERB
B2
1
simogat
B1
Verwendungsmuster:
to caress [someone/something]
He gently caressed her hair as she fell asleep.
Gyengéden simogatta a haját, miközben elaludt.
She caressed the baby's back until he stopped crying.
A baba hátát simogatta, amíg abba nem hagyta a sírást.
He caressed the old photograph, remembering his parents.
She sat by the window and absentmindedly caressed the cat in her lap.
Beispiele für Lernende
The mother caressed her child to help him sleep.
Az anya simogatta a gyermekét, hogy el tudjon aludni.
He caressed her face with his hand.
A kezével simogatta az arcát.
She caressed the dog and spoke in a soft voice.
He slowly caressed the ring in his fingers.
Häufiger Fehler:
Learners sometimes confuse "caress" with any kind of touch. It specifically suggests a slow, gentle, loving movement, not just contact. It is also almost always used as a transitive verb (you caress someone or something), not with a preposition like *"caress to" or "caress with" in ordinary use.
Bedeutung
gently touch in an affectionate way
Wortverbindungen
gently caress
|softly caress
|caress her hair
|caress his cheek
|caress the skin
|caress the face
Synonyme
stroke (Very close in meaning; the most common neutral alternative for gentle, repeated hand movement over someone or something.)
|
pet (Common for touching animals; can sound childish or slightly informal when used for people.)
|
fondle (Often suggests more sexual or sensual touching and can sound inappropriate in neutral contexts.)
Antonyme
hit (Emphasizes a hard, often painful touch, which is the opposite of the gentle, loving contact in a caress.)
Themen
relationships
|emotions
|touch
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To touch or move your hand softly over someone or something to show love or care.
To touch or stroke someone or something slowly and gently, often to express love, comfort, or tenderness.
NOMEN
B2
2
simogatás
B1
Verwendungsmuster:
a caress on [body part]
His gentle caress on her shoulder helped calm her nerves.
A vállán érzett gyengéd simogatás segített megnyugodni.
She felt the light caress of his hand on her back.
Érezte a kezének könnyű simogatását a hátán.
With one soft caress, the mother soothed the crying child.
He gave the cat a final caress before leaving the house.
Beispiele für Lernende
She woke up to the soft caress of his hand.
A keze lágy simogatására ébredt.
The baby stopped crying after his mother's caress.
A baba az anyja simogatásától megnyugodott, és abbahagyta a sírást.
He gave the dog a quick caress and went to work.
A light caress on her arm told her he was there.
Häufiger Fehler:
Learners may try to use "caress" as a noun without an article, saying *"he gave caress" instead of "he gave her a caress". As a countable noun, it usually needs an article or another determiner (a, his, that, etc.).
Bedeutung
a gentle, loving touch
Wortverbindungen
a gentle caress
|a soft caress
|a loving caress
|a tender caress
|a caress on the cheek
|the caress of her hand
Synonyme
stroke (Very close in meaning; often interchangeable, but "stroke" can sound slightly more physical and less emotional.)
|
touch (More general and less emotional; does not always suggest gentleness or affection.)
Antonyme
blow (Refers to a hit or strike, the opposite of the gentle, loving contact of a caress.)
Themen
relationships
|emotions
|touch
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A soft, slow touch that shows love or care.
A slow, gentle touch or stroke that expresses love, comfort, or tenderness.
VERB
C1
LITERARY
3
Verwendungsmuster:
to caress [surface/body part]
A warm breeze caressed her face as she stepped outside.
Meleg szellő simogatta az arcát, amikor kilépett a szabadba.
Sunlight caressed the tops of the trees in the early morning.
A kora reggeli napfény simogatta a fák tetejét.
The waves gently caressed the shore all night long.
Cool air from the open window caressed his bare arms.
Beispiele für Lernende
The soft wind caressed her hair.
A lágy szél simogatta a haját.
Warm water caressed his feet at the edge of the sea.
A tenger szélén a meleg víz simogatta a lábát.
The evening breeze caressed their faces as they walked.
Sunlight caressed the fields after the storm.
Häufiger Fehler:
Learners may think this sense only applies to people touching people, but here the subject is usually something like wind, water, or light. It is often used in written or literary descriptions, not in very casual speech.
Bedeutung
move lightly over in a pleasant way
Wortverbindungen
breeze caressed her face
|sunlight caressed the hills
|waves caressed the shore
|wind caressed his skin
|rain caressed the window
Synonyme
brush (Can describe a light touch, but does not always suggest that the feeling is pleasant or gentle.)
|
skim (Focuses more on light contact or passing over a surface, without the emotional or sensory warmth of "caress".)
Antonyme
lash (Used for wind or rain striking with force, opposite of the gentle, pleasant movement in this sense of "caress".)
Themen
nature
|sensations
|weather
|body
|core_vocabulary
Definition
When wind, water, or light moves softly over your skin or another surface and feels nice.
Of something like wind, water, or light, to move lightly over a surface or body part in a way that feels soft and pleasant.
NOMEN
C1
LITERARY
4
simogatás
B1
Verwendungsmuster:
the caress of [wind/light/water/etc.]
She enjoyed the warm caress of the sun on her face.
Élvezte a nap meleg simogatását az arcán.
The gentle caress of the breeze cooled his sweaty skin.
A szellő gyengéd simogatása hűsítette izzadt bőrét.
He closed his eyes, feeling the soft caress of the water around his legs.
The light caress of the wind moved the curtains at the open window.
Beispiele für Lernende
He liked the soft caress of the wind on his face.
Szerette a szél lágy simogatását az arcán.
The warm caress of the sun made her sleepy.
A nap meleg simogatása elálmosította.
She stood in the sea and felt the caress of the waves.
The cool caress of the air came through the door.
Häufiger Fehler:
Learners may try to use this sense in very ordinary, spoken language, but it is mostly used in descriptive or literary writing. In everyday speech, people are more likely to say "the warm sun on my face" than "the caress of the sun."
Bedeutung
a light, pleasant feeling on the skin
Wortverbindungen
the caress of the sun
|the caress of the breeze
|the caress of warm water
|the caress of the wind
|the caress of sunlight
Synonyme
touch (More general; does not by itself suggest that the feeling is soft and pleasant.)
|
stroke (Can be similar, but more often implies an intentional movement by a person, rather than a natural force like wind or sun.)
Antonyme
sting (Suggests a sharp, unpleasant sensation, the opposite of the soft, pleasant feeling described by this sense of "caress".)
Themen
nature
|sensations
|weather
|body
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A soft and nice feeling on your skin when something like wind or water touches it gently.
A light and pleasant physical sensation created when something such as wind, water, or light moves gently over the skin or another surface.
VERB
C2
LITERARY
5
dédelget
C1
Verwendungsmuster:
to caress [idea/hope/dream/thought]
For years he secretly caressed the hope of returning to his hometown.
Évekig titokban dédelgette a reményt, hogy visszatérhet a szülővárosába.
She still caressed the idea that one day they might be together again.
Még mindig dédelgette azt a gondolatot, hogy egyszer talán újra együtt lehetnek.
He caressed the thought of freedom as he looked out of the small window.
Even in old age, she caressed a childish dream of travel and adventure.
Beispiele für Lernende
He caressed the hope of a better life.
Dédelgette a reményt egy jobb életre.
She caressed the idea of living by the sea.
Dédelgette a gondolatot, hogy a tenger mellett éljen.
For a long time, they caressed the dream of starting a family.
He still caressed the thought that she might call.
Häufiger Fehler:
Learners may use this sense in everyday, casual speech, where it can sound too poetic or old-fashioned. In normal conversation, verbs like "keep," "hold," or "cherish" a hope or dream are more natural.
Bedeutung
hold or think of an idea tenderly
Wortverbindungen
caress a dream
|caress a hope
|caress the thought
|caress the idea
|secretly caress the hope
Synonyme
cherish (Very close in meaning; more common and can be used in both everyday and literary contexts.)
|
nurture (Stresses helping a feeling or idea to grow over time, not always as soft or tender as "caress.")
Antonyme
dismiss (Means to reject or push an idea or hope out of your mind, opposite of holding it gently as in this sense of "caress.")
Themen
emotions
|thought
|literature
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To think about a hope or idea in a soft, loving way and not want to let it go.
To keep an idea, hope, or wish in your mind and treat it with special care or pleasure, as if it were something very precious.
Grammatik
Grundform
caress
IPA
GB/kɚˈɛs/
US/kɚˈɛs/
Silben & Betonung
caress (1 Silbe)
Stress on 1st syllable (caress)
Wortformen
Noun
- Base: caress
- Plural: caresses
Verb
- Base: caress
- 3rd Person Singular: caresses
- Present Participle: caressing
- Past: caressed
Wortfamilie
Forms
caresses
noun
caressing
verb
caressed
verb
Ausdrücke
a caress of
1/ə kɚˈɛs əv/
fixed phrase
literary
a light, pleasant touch from something
A way to talk about a soft, nice feeling on your skin from something like wind, water, or sun.
Beispiele
- She felt a caress of warm air as the door opened.
- They walked in silence under a caress of gentle rain.
- He closed his eyes and enjoyed a caress of sunlight on his face.
caress someone's ego
1/kɚˈɛs sˈʌmwˌʌnz ˈiɡoʊ/
idiom
flatter someone's pride or self-importance
To flatter someone so they feel important, smart, or special.
Beispiele
- The manager knew how to caress the CEO's ego to get what he wanted.
- Politicians often caress voters' egos by telling them how wise their choices are.
- He tried to caress her ego with compliments about her intelligence.