masturbating

masturbating — verb

1. to stimulate your own genitals with your hand in order to achieve sexual pleasur

1.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

to stimulate your own genitals with your hand in order to achieve sexual pleasure

Example

The teacher told the class that masturbating is a normal part of growing up.

masturbating as a gerund subject

William feels embarrassed about masturbating, even though his doctor says it is completely harmless.

masturbating after a preposition (about)

Common collocations
  • masturbate regularly
  • masturbate frequently
  • start masturbating
  • masturbate in private
  • masturbate alone
Synonyms
  • touch oneself

    more casual and euphemistic; avoids the clinical tone

Grammar Patterns

masturbate (no object)

masturbate + reflexive pronoun (formal)

Usage Note

In formal or clinical contexts, 'masturbate' is the standard neutral term. Many informal slang alternatives exist (e.g. 'jerk off', 'wank'), which learners should recognize but use with caution depending on the situation.

Common Mistakes

He masturbated himself every night.
He masturbated every night.
The reflexive pronoun 'himself' is redundant in most contexts; 'masturbate' already implies doing it to oneself.

2. to bring another person to sexual pleasure by touching or rubbing their genitals

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to bring another person to sexual pleasure by touching or rubbing their genitals, usually with your hand

Example

A therapist showed the couple how to masturbate each other in a comfortable way.

reciprocal: masturbate each other

Élise asked her boyfriend whether he would like her to masturbate him during the massage.

masturbate + direct object (him)

Common collocations
  • masturbate your partner
  • masturbate each other
  • masturbate someone gently
  • masturbate someone to orgasm
Synonyms
  • bring someone off

    informal British English; not used in formal writing

  • finger

    more specific; refers to using fingers, typically on a female partner

Grammar Patterns

masturbate + person (e.g. masturbate someone)

Usage Note

This transitive sense always requires an object (the person being stimulated). Without an object, 'masturbate' defaults to the intransitive self-pleasure sense. The subject and object can be of any gender.

Common Mistakes

He masturbated during their time together.
He masturbated her during their time together.
Without an object, the sentence implies he stimulated himself, not his partner.

Word family

  • masturbate
    verbB2
  • masturbation
    nounB2
  • masturbatory
    adjectiveC1
  • masturbator
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

'Masturbate' is the standard clinical term appropriate in medical, educational, and formal contexts. 'Touch oneself' is a gentler, more euphemistic alternative often used in sex education materials or polite conversation when speakers want to avoid the directness of 'masturbate'. 'Jerk off' (American English) and 'wank' (British English) are informal slang terms that are very common in casual speech but inappropriate in formal or professional settings. For example, a doctor would ask 'Do you masturbate?' not 'Do you jerk off?' while friends might say 'He was jerking off in his room.'

masturbatetouch oneselfjerk off ↗wank

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin 'masturbari' (to masturbate), of uncertain origin — possibly from 'manus' (hand) + 'stuprare' (to defile), or from 'mas' (male) + 'turbare' (to disturb). The word entered English in the 1600s as a medical term and has remained the standard clinical term for the act.