Meaning & use
petted
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“petted” is a form of “pet”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Past tense and past participle of pet: stroked or patted an animal gently to show affection.
Grammar: Takes an object: she petted the dog.
Patterns
- petted an animal
- be petted
The children petted the lamb at the farm.
She petted the cat until it purred.
The horse stood still while visitors petted its nose.
adjectivebefore a nounold-fashioned
Treated with great indulgence and attention, often to the point of being spoiled.
Grammar: Comes before a noun: a petted child.
Patterns
- a petted child
He grew up as a petted only child, never told no.
The petted heir expected everyone to obey him.
She was tired of the petted pets of the rich neighbors.
Common combinations
- gently petted
- The puppy was gently petted by every guest.
- petted the dog
- He petted the dog on the head.
- petted and fed
- The stray was petted and fed by the whole street.
- petted and spoiled
- The little prince was petted and spoiled.
- love to be petted
- Most cats love to be petted behind the ears.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stroked
- Stroked stresses a long smooth movement of the hand, while petted stresses affection.
- patted
- Patted means short light taps, whereas petted can be slower and longer.
- fondled
- Fondled can sound improper with people, so petted is safer for animals.
- caressed
- Caressed is more literary and used mostly for people.
Opposites
Word family
- pet verb
- to stroke an animal
- pet noun
- a tame animal kept at home
- petting zoo noun
- a place where children can touch tame animals
Commonly confused: petted or patted? petted or pitted?
petted vs patted
Patted is a quick tap, whereas petted is affectionate stroking.
petted vs pitted
Pitted means marked with small holes or having had its stone removed, as in pitted olives.
Practice
The children gently ____ the rabbit at the petting zoo.
Choose one answer.
Petted means stroked affectionately. Pitted looks similar but means marked with small holes.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “petted”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.