Petting Meaning in English

word · lemma: pet

US

UK

Definition

Petting means gently touching or stroking an animal to show affection. It can also refer to intimate touching between people.

Usage & Nuances

Usually used for showing affection to animals ('petting the dog'), but can also mean sexual touching between people (informal or old-fashioned). In animal contexts, always positive; in people, context is important.

• Spanish: acariciar (animal) - caricias (íntimas)
• Portuguese (BR): fazer carinho (em animal) - carícias (íntimas)
• Portuguese (PT): fazer festas (a animal) - carícias (íntimas)
• Chinese (Simplified): 抚摸 (动物) - 爱抚 (亲密)
• Chinese (Traditional): 撫摸 (動物) - 愛撫 (親密)
• Hindi: दुलारना (जानवर) - गहन शारीरिक संपर्क
• Arabic: مداعبة (حيوان) - مداعبة (حميمية)
• Bengali: গলার আদর করা - স্পর্শ (জানবাজ প্রাণী/মানবিকভাবে)
• Russian: глажение - ласки (интимные)
• Japanese: なでること - ペッティング（性的な意味）
• Vietnamese: vuốt ve - âu yếm (thân mật)
• Korean: 쓰다듬기 - 애무(성적인)
• Turkish: sevmek (hayvana dokunmak) - sevişme (cinsel dokunuş)
• Urdu: پیار سے سہلانا - جسمانی قربت (جنسی معنی)
• Indonesian: membelai - bercumbu (sentuhan intim)

Example Sentences

The child enjoyed petting the soft rabbit.

basic

There is a petting zoo at the park.

basic

She likes petting her cat while reading.

basic

At that age, teenagers are curious about petting and dating.

natural

Some pets can't get enough petting—they'll follow you everywhere for attention!

natural

He spent the afternoon just petting the dogs at the shelter.

natural