massage
Americannoun
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massages
plural
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the act or art of treating the body by rubbing, kneading, patting, or the like, to stimulate circulation, increase suppleness, relieve tension, etc.
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Slang. attentive or indulgent treatment; pampering.
ego massage.
verb (used with object)
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massages,
present (3rd person singular)
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massaged,
past participle, past
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massaging
present participle
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to treat by massage.
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Slang. to treat with special care and attention; coddle or pamper.
The store massages its regular customers with gifts and private sales.
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Informal.
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to manipulate, maneuver, or handle skillfully.
to massage a bill through the Senate.
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to manipulate, organize, or rearrange (data, figures, or the like) to produce a specific result, especially a favorable one.
The auditors discovered that the company had massaged the books.
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noun
verb
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to give a massage to
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to treat (stiffness, aches, etc) by a massage
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to manipulate (statistics, data, etc) so that they appear to support a particular interpretation or to be better than they are; doctor
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to boost someone's sense of self-esteem by flattery
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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massagesimple
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massagessimple
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have massagedperfect
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has massagedperfect
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am massagingprogressive
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are massagingprogressive
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is massagingprogressive
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have been massagingperfect progressive
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has been massagingperfect progressive
Past
-
massagedsimple
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had massagedperfect
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was massagingprogressive
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were massagingprogressive
-
had been massagingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of massage
1875–80; < French, equivalent to mass ( er ) to massage (< Arabic massa to handle) + -age -age
Explanation
When someone rubs your muscles to help relax them, that's a massage. Feels good, doesn't it? When someone tells you how great you are to gain favor, they massage your ego. Not bad, either. The word massage has a mysterious background, possibly coming from the Arabic massa, meaning "to touch," finding its way to 19th Century France by way of Napoleon. Would you accept a foot massage from Napoleon? Or, it might have worked its way to France from India, where amassar carries the meaning "knead." The year 1913 saw the first massage parlor, which was really a brothel. Today massage is a recognized form of physical therapy and is, of course, practiced by amateurs too. A little to the left, please.
Vocabulary lists containing massage
Brown Girl Dreaming
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English Words Derived from French, List 5
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Towers Falling
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
That led him to attend massage school — not to start a career as a massage therapist, he said, but to learn how to give back to others.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Police searching the neighbouring massage parlour found a hole being dug through an adjoining wall into the jewellery store, along with bags of tools.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
So now, players have access to infrared beds, sensory deprivation tanks and AI-led massage chairs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Customers are often greeted with Champagne and caviar and pampered with gourmet meals and massage treatments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Carrie bad both a facial and a massage.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
How do I get that lactic acid out of my body - massages or ice baths?
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
I have watched videos of people doing cold plunges, giving themselves ear massages and contorting themselves into impossible stretches all in the name of fixing dysregulation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Located at Rosedale Center, the spa offers nail services alongside massages, facials and body treatments in a calm, welcoming setting.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
This year, attendees can sign up for free massages, red light therapy sessions, lymphatic drainage boots, and—thanks in part to a partnership with LEGO—partake in a series of analog “adult play” installations.
From Slate ● May 8, 2026
The disease had left Morrie without the ability even to wiggle his toes, yet he could still feel pain, and massages helped relieve it.
From "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom
It features whole leaves of romaine lettuce massaged by hand with a dressing of fresh garlic, lime, Worcestershire, soft-poached eggs and Cantabrian anchovies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
The filler is then massaged to give an even look, which the patient continues as home.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Petty crimes dropped, as did homicides, according to official data, though some disputed the data as possibly massaged to benefit authorities.
From Barron's ● May 10, 2026
Hours after giving birth, I sat in my hospital bed holding my newborn as a nurse massaged my breasts.
From Salon ● Jan. 19, 2024
Then he massaged her with brandy and gunpowder, but it was all useless; Pancha’s life ebbed away in an interminable case of diarrhea that destroyed her body and left her with an insatiable thirst.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
Sound possesses power, whether you’ll be weary from dancing or blissed out from the frequencies massaging your nerves.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
As self-driving cars become more feasible, companies are exploring enhanced in-car experiences such as lie-flat massaging seats, mobile theaters and features that teach you about your surroundings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025
Exhausted, Chris sat on a fold-out chair for a moment, letting out a sigh of relief and massaging his eyebrows with his fingers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2025
Orcas in the North Pacific have been seen "massaging" each other - rubbing pieces of kelp between their bodies.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2025
It had a huge moon roof, heated and massaging seats, and plenty of room for Freebie, and it cost a mere $350 per day, plus insurance.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
