Meanings
verb
nounpetting (countable and uncountable, plural pettings)
plural pettings
- countableuncountableThe act of indulging or treating as a favourite.
'Come, Jo, don't be thorny. After studying himself to a skeleton all the week, a fellow deserves petting, and ought to get it.'
1869, Louisa May Alcott, Good Wives
Synonyms & antonyms
nounaffectionate play (or foreplay without contact with the genital organs)
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 撫摸 /抚摸, 撫摸 /抚摸
- 撫摸 /抚摸 (fǔmō)stroking or fondling an animal
- 撫摸 /抚摸 (fǔmō)kissing, stroking, etc., in a sexual manner
Finnish silittely, pettinki
- silittelystroking or fondling an animal
- pettinkikissing, stroking, etc., in a sexual manner
- suukottelukissing, stroking, etc., in a sexual manner
- halailukissing, stroking, etc., in a sexual manner
French pelotage, tripotage
- pelotagekissing, stroking, etc., in a sexual manner
- tripotagekissing, stroking, etc., in a sexual manner
German Petting
- Pettingkissing, stroking, etc., in a sexual manner
Hungarian simogatás, szeretgetés
- simogatásstroking or fondling an animal
- szeretgetésstroking or fondling an animal
- babusgatásstroking or fondling an animal
- pettingkissing, stroking, etc., in a sexual manner
- pettingezéskissing, stroking, etc., in a sexual manner
Irish peataireacht, peataíocht
- peataireachtstroking or fondling an animal
- peataíochtstroking or fondling an animal
Italian pomiciata, amoreggiamento
- pomiciatakissing, stroking, etc., in a sexual manner
- amoreggiamentokissing, stroking, etc., in a sexual manner
- limonatakissing, stroking, etc., in a sexual manner
Japanese ペッティング
- ペッティング (pettingu)kissing, stroking, etc., in a sexual manner
Māori tākunekune, tākunekunetanga
- tākunekune, tākunekunetangakissing, stroking, etc., in a sexual manner
Polish petting
- pettingkissing, stroking, etc., in a sexual manner
Russian ла́ски, не́жничанье
- ла́ски (láski)stroking or fondling an animal
- не́жничанье (néžničanʹje)stroking or fondling an animal
- пе́ттинг (pɛ́tting)kissing, stroking, etc., in a sexual manner
- не́жничаньеkissing, stroking, etc., in a sexual manner
- ла́ски (láski)kissing, stroking, etc., in a sexual manner
Spanish popamiento, caricia
- popamientostroking or fondling an animal
- cariciastroking or fondling an animal
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with petting
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
petting. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/petting
MLA
“petting.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/petting. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “petting,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/petting.
Source: petting on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.