Synonyms and antonyms of Expressing affection physically in British Thesaurus

mwah (interjection)

informal the sound of a kiss or kisses

kiss (verb)

to touch someone with your lips because you love them or have sexual feelings for them

hug (verb)

to put your arms round someone to show your love or friendship

pat (verb)

to touch someone gently several times with a flat hand to show that you care about them or want to make them feel better

caress (verb)

to move your hands gently over someone’s face or body in a way that shows you love them

cuddle (verb)

if you cuddle someone, you put your arms round them and hold them close to show that you like or love them

hold (verb)

to put your arms around someone because you love them or because they are unhappy

embrace (verb)

formal to put your arms around someone in order to show love or friendship

hold hands ()

to put your hand around someone else’s hand

nuzzle (verb)

to press your nose or face against something gently

arm in arm ()

if two people are arm in arm, they are next to each other, with the left arm of one of them bent around the right arm of the other person

bear hug (noun)

an act of putting your arms around someone and holding them tightly, because you are happy to see them or you want to show that you like them a lot

caress (noun)

a gentle movement of your hands over someone’s face or body in a way that shows you love them

clap someone on the back/shoulder ()

to hit someone on their back/shoulder with your hand in a friendly way

clinch (noun)

the position of two people who are holding each other tightly

cuddle (noun)

an act of cuddling someone

embrace (noun)

formal the action of putting your arms around someone to show love or friendship

fall on ()

to take hold of someone suddenly, either to attack them or to hug them

fold someone in your arms ()

to put your arms around someone

gather someone into your arms ()

to put your arms around someone, especially to protect them

hug (noun)

the action of putting your arms round someone to show your love or friendship

join hands ()

to hold someone else’s hand in your hand

kiss away ()

to help someone to get rid of feelings of sadness, worry, or anger by kissing them to show that you are sympathetic

locked in an embrace ()

holding each other tightly

pat (verb)

if you pat an animal such as a dog or a horse, you touch it gently several times with a flat hand in a friendly way

pat (noun)

the action of gently touching someone or something several times with a flat hand

pet (verb)

to touch an animal or a person in a gentle way that shows you like or love them

physical (adjective)

a physical person touches people a lot, either in a friendly or a rough way

press someone’s arm/hand ()

to squeeze someone’s arm or hand gently as a way of expressing friendship, sympathy, or love

ruffle (verb)

to move someone’s hair in a friendly way

tactile (adjective)

a tactile person likes to touch other people a lot, for example when talking to them

touchy-feely (adjective)

informal tending to express feelings in an honest and physical way. This word often shows that you dislike people like this.