Doing math is the only socially acceptable way to masturbate in public.
Source: tatoeba (1796)
Masturbate
/ˈmæ.stə.beɪt/
Synonyms for "masturbate" (30 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (6)
Strong matches (9)
Verb(9 words)
fuck offjack offjerk itjerk offjerk the gherkinmastupratemasturbatesplay pocket poolpleasure oneself
Related words (15)
Verb(12 words)
self-abuseself-polluteself-stimulateservice oneselfshe-bopskeetstroketosstouch oneselfwankwank offwanked
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: abuse, beat it, bugger, crank one out, diddle.
- Sentence evidence is available for masturbate, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wiktionary, derived_reverse, wordnet, opengloss, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "masturbate".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "masturbate"
Keep "masturbate" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "masturbate" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "masturbate", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "masturbate" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
7 entriesMore specific
2 entriesgenital stimulationmanual stimulation
Collocations
6 entriesautoerotic activitygenital stimulationmanual stimulationself stimulationsexual activitysexual self stimulation
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
2 entriessimilar
5 entriesTranslations
150 translations across 72 languages.
Afrikaans
1 entries- masturbeer verb (to masturbate)
Albanian
1 entries- masturbohem verb (to masturbate)
Ancient Greek
3 entries- δέφομαι verb (to masturbate)
- λέπομαι verb (to masturbate)
- ἀναφλάω verb (to masturbate)
Arabic
2 entries- اِسْتَمْنَى verb (to masturbate)
- مَارَسَ الْعَادَة السِّرِّيَّة verb (to masturbate)
Armenian
1 entries- մաստուրբացիայով զբաղվել verb (to masturbate)
Azerbaijani
1 entries- onanizm etmək verb (to masturbate)
Basque
1 entries- masturbatu verb (to masturbate)
Belarusian
2 entries- анані́раваць verb (to masturbate)
- мастурбава́ць verb (to masturbate)
Bengali
2 entries- হস্তমৈথুন করা verb (to masturbate)
- হাত মারা verb (to masturbate)
Bikol Central
1 entries- salsal verb (to masturbate)
Bulgarian
2 entries- мастурби́рам verb (to masturbate)
- онани́рам verb (to masturbate)
Catalan
1 entries- masturbar-se verb (to masturbate)
Cebuano
2 entries- jakol verb (to masturbate)
- lulu verb (to masturbate)
Central Kurdish
2 entries- دەست پەڕاندن verb (to masturbate)
- دەست پەڕکاندن verb (to masturbate)
Chinese Cantonese
2 entries- 手淫 verb (to masturbate)
- 打飛機 /打飞机 verb (to masturbate)
Chinese Mandarin
4 entries- 手淫 verb (to masturbate)
- 打 verb (to masturbate)
- 打手槍 /打手枪 verb (to masturbate)
- 打手銃 /打手铳 verb (to masturbate)
Czech
2 entries- masturbovat verb (to masturbate)
- onanovat verb (to masturbate)
Danish
2 entries- masturbere verb (to masturbate)
- onanere verb (to masturbate)
Dutch
1 entries- masturberen verb (to masturbate)
Dutch Low Saxon
1 entries- masturberen verb (to masturbate)
Esperanto
2 entries- masturbi verb (to masturbate)
- sinmasturbi verb (to masturbate)
Estonian
3 entries- eneserahuldamisega tegelema verb (to masturbate)
- ennast rahuldama verb (to masturbate)
- masturbeerima verb (to masturbate)
Faroese
2 entries- fleyga sær verb (to masturbate)
- onanera verb (to masturbate)
Finnish
4 entries- harjoittaa itsetyydytystä verb (to masturbate)
- itsetyydyttää verb (to masturbate)
- masturboida verb (to masturbate)
- tyydyttää itsensä verb (to masturbate)
French
1 entries- masturber verb (to masturbate)
German
4 entries- (sich) selbstbefriedigen verb (to masturbate)
- masturbieren verb (to masturbate)
- onanieren verb (to masturbate)
- sich befriedigen verb (to masturbate)
Greek
1 entries- αυνανίζομαι verb (to masturbate)
Hebrew
1 entries- אוֹנֵן verb (to masturbate)
Hindi
4 entries- मुठ मारना verb (to masturbate)
- मूठ मारना verb (to masturbate)
- हस्तमैथुन करना verb (to masturbate)
- हिलाना verb (to masturbate)
Hungarian
1 entries- maszturbál verb (to masturbate)
Icelandic
2 entries- fróa sér verb (to masturbate)
- runka verb (to masturbate)
Indonesian
3 entries- masturbasi verb (to masturbate)
- merancap verb (to masturbate)
- onani verb (to masturbate)
Italian
2 entries- masturbare verb (to masturbate)
- masturbarsi verb (to masturbate)
Japanese
4 entries- オナる verb (to masturbate)
- オナニーする verb (to masturbate)
- シコる verb (to masturbate)
- マスをかく verb (to masturbate)
Jarai
1 entries- ñăr verb (to masturbate)
Khmer
1 entries- បញ្ឆាច់ verb (to masturbate)
Korean
4 entries- 마스터베이션을 하다 verb (to masturbate)
- 수음하다 verb (to masturbate)
- 자위하다 verb (to masturbate)
- 자위행위를 하다 verb (to masturbate)
Latin
2 entries- glubo verb (to masturbate)
- masturbor verb (to masturbate)
Latvian
1 entries- masturbēt verb (to masturbate)
Lithuanian
1 entries- masturbuoti verb (to masturbate)
Macedonian
2 entries- мастурби́ра verb (to masturbate)
- онани́ра verb (to masturbate)
Malay
2 entries- lancap verb (to masturbate)
- rancap verb (to masturbate)
Māori
2 entries- pīkoikoi verb (to masturbate)
- tītoitoi verb (to masturbate)
Nepali
1 entries- छोल्नु verb (to masturbate)
Norwegian
1 entries- masturbere verb (to masturbate)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- onanere verb (to masturbate)
Norwegian Nynorsk
3 entries- masturbera verb (to masturbate)
- onanera verb (to masturbate)
- runka verb (to masturbate)
Odia
2 entries- ମୁଠି ମାରିବା verb (to masturbate)
- ହସ୍ତ ମୈଥୁନ verb (to masturbate)
Persian
2 entries- استمنا کردن verb (to masturbate)
- جلق زدن verb (to masturbate)
Polish
4 entries- masturbować się verb (to masturbate)
- onanizować się verb (to masturbate)
- uprawiać ipsację verb (to masturbate)
- walić gruchę verb (to masturbate)
Portuguese
2 entries- masturbar verb (to masturbate)
- masturbar-se verb (to masturbate)
Romanian
1 entries- masturba verb (to masturbate)
Russian
3 entries- дрочить verb (to masturbate)
- мастурби́ровать verb (to masturbate)
- онани́ровать verb (to masturbate)
Sanskrit
1 entries- हस्तमैथुनम् करोति verb (to masturbate)
Scottish Gaelic
1 entries- brod verb (to masturbate)
Serbo-Croatian
4 entries- masturbírati verb (to masturbate)
- samozadovoljávati se verb (to masturbate)
- мастурби́рати verb (to masturbate)
- самозадовоља́вати се verb (to masturbate)
Sicilian
2 entries- minarisilla verb (to masturbate)
- minàrisi verb (to masturbate)
Slovak
3 entries- masturbovať verb (to masturbate)
- onanovať verb (to masturbate)
- ukájať verb (to masturbate)
Slovene
1 entries- masturbirati verb (to masturbate)
Spanish
2 entries- masturbar verb (to masturbate)
- masturbarse verb (to masturbate)
Swedish
4 entries- klittra verb (to masturbate)
- masturbera verb (to masturbate)
- onanera verb (to masturbate)
- pulla verb (to masturbate)
Tagalog
2 entries- jakol verb (to masturbate)
- salsal verb (to masturbate)
Tajik
2 entries- истимно кардан verb (to masturbate)
- ҷалқ задан verb (to masturbate)
Thai
2 entries- ชักว่าว verb (to masturbate)
- ช่วยตัวเอง verb (to masturbate)
Tibetan
1 entries- འདག་བརྒྱབ verb (to masturbate)
Turkish
2 entries- mastürbasyon yapmak verb (to masturbate)
- siftinmek verb (to masturbate)
Ukrainian
2 entries- мастурбува́ти verb (to masturbate)
- онаніюва́ти verb (to masturbate)
Urdu
1 entries- مٹھ مارنا verb (to masturbate)
Uzbek
1 entries- onanizm qilmoq verb (to masturbate)
Vietnamese
3 entries- quay tay verb (to masturbate)
- thủ dâm verb (to masturbate)
- tự sướng verb (to masturbate)
Welsh
2 entries- llawgnychu verb (to masturbate)
- mastyrbio verb (to masturbate)
West-Frisian
1 entries- masturbearje verb (to masturbate)
Sample sentences
14 total sentences available.
Do girls also masturbate?
Source: tatoeba (5006709)
Sami can't masturbate without watching porn.
Source: tatoeba (6136452)
Sami can't masturbate without porn.
Source: tatoeba (6136455)
Showing 4 of 14 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "masturbate"?
Closest matches include abuse, beat it, bugger, crank one out, diddle.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "masturbate"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.