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
-
have been massagingperfect progressive
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has been massagingperfect progressive
Past
-
massagedsimple
-
had massagedperfect
-
was massagingprogressive
-
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:
The technique is a form of lymphatic drainage massage, adapted from a medical treatment and shared as a beauty trend.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
These renovations included the addition of a new structure on the grounds that contains a gym and a “recovery center” with a sauna, a cold plunge, a steam room, and a massage table.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
And even the go-for-broke performance of Mr. Ribisi, with its barely contained insanity, requires something to massage our sympathies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
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
I run my fingers through her hair and massage her scalp.
From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick
My results showed various deficiencies, which the staff recommended treating with vitamin B and glutathione IV drips, acupuncture, cupping massages, osteopathy and daily hydro and mud therapy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
The report concluded that KFA staff reported the expenses under false pretences, claiming the money was used for food and drink or massages.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
The apothecary hosts meditations, sound baths, tarot card readings and massages there to help bring the mind and body into balance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 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
Like Ben was Pop, Ray climbs onto the bed and massages his head.
From "Towers Falling" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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
A soft hand takes the place of the towels at my feet and calves while warm oils are simultaneously dripped onto my hair and massaged into my scalp.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2025
I massaged my neck, trying to get the blood flowing back to my brain.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
An employee recounted seeing the former secretary massaging the agent’s shoulders, for example, and witnesses said the two often texted each other on their personal phones outside of work hours.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Sound possesses power, whether you’ll be weary from dancing or blissed out from the frequencies massaging your nerves.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
"This is the Zygopush," Marvin tells me, while pressing his thumbs directly under his cheekbones and massaging upwards towards his ears in an attempt to hollow out his cheeks.
From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026
But whatever massaging has been applied, “All the Sharks” is real enough.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2025
Harry and Ron sat down again, Ron massaging his knuckles.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
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.
