Massaging: meaning, definitions and examples

Typically refers to the act of working on the muscles and soft tissues of the body to relieve tension, pain, and stress. Commonly used in the context of professional or therapeutic settings for relaxation or medical purposes.

• She enjoys massaging her own shoulders after a long day at work.
• Massaging the feet can help improve circulation.

Refers to applying pressure and movement across a surface, typically using hands or cloth. Can be used for various purposes such as cleaning, warming, or soothing skin and muscles.

• Rubbing the stain with soap should help remove it.
• He kept rubbing his eyes, trying to stay awake.

Often used in the context of baking, referring to the process of working dough with your hands to develop its texture. Can also be used to describe a type of deep muscle massage technique.

• The recipe calls for kneading the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic.
• The therapist is kneading the knots out of my back muscles.

Generally refers to skillful or careful handling of objects or people, and can be used in medical contexts to describe adjustments made by a chiropractor. Note that it can also have a negative connotation when referring to controlling or influencing people in a deceptive way.

• The chiropractor's manipulation of the spine relieved my back pain.
• His manipulation of the data was unethical.

Typically used in a neutral or slightly negative sense to describe the process of adjusting or tweaking data or information to make it appear more favorable than it actually is.

• The marketing team was accused of massaging the sales figures to impress the board.
• He spent the afternoon massaging the report to downplay the risks involved.

Usually used in a negative sense to describe the act of trying to control or influence a situation or people in a skillful but often dishonest way.

• She felt like she was being subjected to emotional manipulation.
• The stockbroker was arrested for market manipulation.

Used in a highly negative context to describe the deliberate act of altering, fabricating, or counterfeiting information or documents. It often implies illegal or unethical behavior.

• The scientist was fired due to the falsification of research data.
• The company faced severe penalties for the falsification of financial statements.

Often used in a negative context to indicate a significant alteration of the truth or reality, leading to a misleading or false representation of it.

• The distortion of facts in the news article misled the public.
• She claimed that the media's distortion of her statement caused unnecessary controversy.