Synonyms and antonyms of Instances of touching, holding and physical contact in British Thesaurus

touch (noun)

the action of putting your hand or part of your body on someone or something

contact (noun)

a situation in which people or things touch each other

hold (noun)

the fact that you are holding someone or something

grip (noun)

a firm strong hold

tap (noun)

the action or sound of touching someone or something gently

handling (noun)

the way in which you touch, use, or deal with something, especially with your hands

clutch (noun)

a firm hold that you have on someone or something, usually because you are afraid or in pain, or do not want to lose them

pat (noun)

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

grasp (noun)

a very tight hold of someone or something

brush (noun)

a very gentle movement against something

by the scruff of the/someone’s neck (British)

Britishinformal by the back of the neck

clasp (noun)

mainly literary a way of holding something tightly

feel (noun)

an act of touching someone or something

fiddle (noun)

informal an act of touching, moving, or changing something many times in order to improve it or make it work better

grab (noun)

an attempt to take hold of something

hold (noun)

a way of holding someone, for example in a sport

lick (noun)

the action of licking something

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

scratch (noun)

the action of pulling your nails along your skin

stranglehold (noun)

a tight hold around someone’s neck that makes breathing difficult

stroke (noun)

a gentle movement of your hand across skin, hair, or fur

tickle (noun)

an act of tickling someone