fondle
verb
fon·dle
| \ ˈfän-dᵊl
\
\
fondled;
fondling\ ˈfän-(d)liŋ
, -dᵊl-iŋ \
, -dᵊl-iŋ \
Definition of fondle
1
: to handle tenderly, lovingly, or lingeringly : caress
She fondled the string of pearls.
b
: to touch (someone or something) sexually
… one of them fondled her neck.— Nadine Gordimer Not long ago, the New York Police Department investigated a dentist accused of fondling his patients after putting them under anesthesia.— Donna McCrohan
: to show affection or desire by caressing
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Other Words from fondle
fondler
\ ˈfän-(d)lər
, -dᵊl-ər \
noun
, -dᵊl-ər \
noun
Examples of fondle in a Sentence
She claims that her boss tried to fondle her at the office Christmas party.
a cat who enjoys being fondled by his loving owners
Recent Examples on the Web
Marie’s habit of fondling a little glowing green bottle in bed is especially upsetting. — Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Radioactive': Film Review | TIFF 2019," 6 Sep. 2019 Now another 30 men from 12 sports and a non-athlete have come forward stating that Strauss allegedly fondled them at the student health center. — Stephen Means, cleveland.com, "The Pac-12 to consider earlier kickoff times this season: Buckeye Breakfast," 26 July 2019 Perez-Giron fondled the girl and tried to pull her pants down, according to police. — Dan Morse, Washington Post, "Two Maryland men indicted in alleged rape of 11-year-old girl," 22 Aug. 2019 The woman, then 21, also said Andrew fondled her breast and made advances on her and Giuffre at a party at Epstein’s New York mansion mansion. — Martha Ross, The Mercury News, "Prince Andrew’s troubles continue; London police rejected ‘full investigation’ of sex allegations," 19 Aug. 2019 Chapman was on the verge of release after four decades behind bars when he was indicted by a Middlesex grand jury last year for allegedly fondling himself in front of prison staff. — Danny Mcdonald, BostonGlobe.com, "Convicted child rapist Wayne Chapman found not guilty of exposing himself to prison staff," 9 Aug. 2019 At a Nantucket bar, the man had been talking with Spacey, who bought him a number of drinks and, according to the accuser, pulled down the man’s zipper and started fondling him. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, "Kevin Spacey Is Not Vindicated," 18 July 2019 According to the complaint, a woman with a membership to Massage Envy said that during a massage at the Daly City location, the male massage therapist touched her vaginal area and groped and fondled her breasts. — Lauren Hernández, SFChronicle.com, "Four women sue, saying they were sexually assaulted at massage firm’s outlets," 19 July 2019 Vance said Bailey groped and fondled him that night. — Ashley Remkus | Aremkus@al.com, al.com, "Former Alabama private school teacher won’t be charged in decades-old sex abuse allegations," 24 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fondle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for fondle
fondle
verb
English Language Learners Definition of fondle
: to touch or handle (something) in a gentle way
: to touch (someone) in a sexual way
See the full definition for fondle in the English Language Learners Dictionary
fondle
verb
fon·dle
| \ ˈfän-dᵊl
\
\
fondled;
fondling
Kids Definition of fondle
: to touch or handle in a tender or loving manner
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