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petting
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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈpɛtɪŋ/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(pet′ing)
- From the verb pet: (⇒ conjugate)
- petting is: ⓘClick the infinitive to see all available inflections
- v pres p
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026pet•ting
(pet′ing),USA pronunciation n.
- amorous caressing and kissing.
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026pet1 /pɛt/USA pronunciation
n., adj., v., pet•ted, pet•ting. n. [countable]
- an animal kept as a companion in the home:She had always wanted a dog as a pet.
- a person who is especially well cared for or favored:a teacher's pet.
adj. [before a noun]
- kept or treated as a pet:two pet canaries.
- especially well cared for, such as a child.
- favorite;
preferred:a pet theory.
- showing fondness or affection:pet names for each other, like "Poochie'' and "Boopsie.''
v. - to stroke or touch kindly with the hand:[~ + object]She petted the dog on its head.
- Informal Termsto kiss and touch, stroke, or caress in a way expressing sexual attraction: [~ + object]They were petting each other on the sofa.[no object]They were petting in the back seat of his car.
- [~ + object] to treat as a pet;
indulge.
PET /pɛt/USA pronunciation n. [uncountable]
- Medicinepositron emission tomography, a technique for revealing active areas of the brain while information is being processed.
-pet-,2 root. - -pet- comes from Latin, where it has the meaning "seek;
strive for.'' This meaning is found in such words as: appetite, centripetal, compete, competence, competent, competition, impetigo, impetuous, impetus, perpetual, petition, petulant, repeat, repetition.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026pet1
(pet),USA pronunciation n., adj., v., pet•ted, pet•ting. n. - any domesticated or tamed animal that is kept as a companion and cared for affectionately.
- a person especially cherished or indulged;
favorite:He was the teacher's pet.
- a thing particularly cherished.
adj. - kept or treated as a pet:a pet lamb.
- especially cherished or indulged, as a child or other person.
- favorite;
most preferred:a pet theory.
- showing fondness or affection:to address someone with pet words.
v.t. - to fondle or caress:to pet a dog.
- Informal Termsto treat as a pet;
indulge.
v.i. - Informal Termsto engage in amorous fondling and caressing.
- 1500–10; (noun, nominal) perh. back formation from pet lamb cade lamb, shortened variant of petty lamb little lamb (see petty); (verb, verbal) derivative of the noun, nominal
8. baby, humor, pamper, favor.
pet2
(pet),USA pronunciation n.
- a fit of peevishness, sulking, or bad mood.
v.i. - to be peevish;
sulk.
- 1580–90; origin, originally uncertain; compare pettish
- Medicinepositron emission tomography. Cf. PET scan.
Pet.,
- Peter.
pet.,
- Chemistrypetroleum.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
pet /pɛt/ n - a tame animal kept in a household for companionship, amusement, etc
- a person who is fondly indulged; favourite: teacher's pet
adj - kept as a pet: a pet dog
- of or for pet animals: pet food
- particularly cherished; favourite: a pet theory, a pet hatred
- familiar or affectionate: a pet name
- pet day ⇒ Scot Irish a single fine day during a period of bad weather
vb (pets, petting, petted)- (transitive) to treat (a person, animal, etc) as a pet; pamper
- (transitive) to pat or fondle (an animal, child, etc)
- (intransitive) informal (of two people) to caress each other in an erotic manner, as during lovemaking (often in the phrase heavy petting)
Etymology: 16th Century: origin unknownˈpetter n pet /pɛt/ n - a fit of sulkiness, esp at what is felt to be a slight; pique
vb (pets, petting, petted)- (intransitive) to take offence; sulk
Etymology: 16th Century: of uncertain origin
'petting' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
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