to touch or press with the lips slightly pursed, and then often to part them and to emit a smacking sound, in an expression of affection, love, greeting, reverence, etc..
He kissed his son on the cheek.
to join lips with in this way.
She kissed him and left.
to touch gently or lightly.
The breeze kissed her face.
to put, bring, take, etc., by, or as if by, kissing.
She kissed the baby's tears away.
Billiards, Pool. (of a ball) to make slight contact with or brush (another ball).
to join lips in respect, affection, love, passion, etc..
They kissed passionately.
to express a thought, feeling, etc., by a contact of the lips.
They kissed goodbye at the station.
to purse and then part the lips, emitting a smacking sound, as in kissing someone.
Billiards, Pool. (of a ball) to carom gently off or touch another ball.
an act or instance of kissing.
a slight touch or contact.
Billiards, Pool. the slight touch of one ball by another.
a baked confection of egg whites and confectioners' sugar, served as a cookie.
a piece of toffeelike confectionery, sometimes containing nuts, coconut, or the like.
a small, sometimes conical, bite-size piece of chocolate, usually individually wrapped.
kiss ass, to be obsequious; fawn.
blow / throw a kiss, to indicate an intended kiss from a distance, usually in bidding farewell, by kissing one's own fingertips and moving the hand toward the person greeted.
(tr) to touch with the lips or press the lips against as an expression of love, greeting, respect, etc
(intr) to join lips with another person in an act of love or desire
to touch (each other) lightly
their hands kissed
billiards (of balls) to touch (each other) lightly while moving
the act of kissing; a caress with the lips
a light touch
a small light sweet or cake, such as one made chiefly of egg white and sugar
coffee kisses
before 900; Middle English kissen to kiss, Old English cyssan (cognate with German küssen, Old Norse kyssa ), derivative of Old English coss a kiss; cognate with Old Norse koss, German Küss
To kiss is to touch someone's face or lips with your own lips. Most people kiss each other as a way of saying "Hello!" or because they love each other. You might kiss your grandma on the cheek, kiss your girlfriend on the mouth, or kiss your dog on his furry head. In each case, you're using an ancient human practice that anthropologists believe evolved either from a basic instinct, or perhaps from the habit of mothers feeding their babies pre-chewed food, mouth-to-mouth. Colloquially, you can "kiss something goodbye," or accept the fact that you'll lose it — and "the kiss of death" is something sure to bring failure.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
After 10 years with Kiss FM, he moved to Radio 1 in 1996 to present Rhythm Nation.
From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026
Nearly one-quarter of players at this World Cup were born in countries other than the one they are representing, said Marissa Kiss of George Mason University's Institute for Immigration Research.
From Barron's • Jun. 18, 2026
They held paper hearts aloft during Fine Line, and painted red lips on their necks, in reference to the star's latest album: Kiss All The Time.
From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026
In addition to “Thelma & Louise,” Davis cites “The Long Kiss Goodnight” as perhaps her favorite role.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
As they passed the long stone quays reserved for the ships of die Thirteen, she saw chests of saffron, frankin-cense, and pepper being off-loaded from Xaro's ornate Vermillion Kiss.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
