massage
- 01 B1 Intermediate
n.the action of rubbing or pressing a person's muscles to help them relax or to stop pain.
n.the systematic manipulation of the soft tissues of the body, typically used for relaxation or therapeutic purposes.
Simple“After the long hike, a shoulder massage helped my sore muscles feel much better.”
In context“The therapist recommended a deep-tissue massage to alleviate the chronic tension that had built up in the patient's lower back.”
Synonymsrubdownkneading - 02 B1 Intermediate
v.to rub or press someone's body to help them relax.
v.to perform a massage on a person or a specific part of the body. Transitive, taking a direct object.
Simple“She gently massaged her temples to try and get rid of her headache.”
In context“The trainer massaged the athlete's calves before the race to ensure the muscles were sufficiently warmed up and flexible.”
Synonymskneadrub - 03 C1 Advanced
v.to change facts or numbers slightly so they look better or more useful than they really are.
v.to manipulate or adjust statistics, figures, or data, often to present a more favourable or convenient impression.
Simple“The company was accused of massaging the sales figures to impress their investors.”
In context“The department was criticised for massaging the employment data to make the new policy appear more successful than it actually was.”
UsageOften used with objects like 'figures', 'numbers', or 'data'.
Teacher's tipThis sense often carries a negative connotation of dishonesty or 'fudging' the truth.
Synonyms
From French massage (noun), from masser (“to massage”) (borrowed around the end of the 18th century from Arabic مَسَّ (massa, “feel, touch”), or from Portuguese amassar) + -age. Cognate to German massieren.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.