air kiss

American

noun

a pursing of the lips in a pretended kiss, as when parting on the telephone or touching cheeks in greeting.

air kiss British

noun

a kissing gesture, esp one directed towards a person's cheeck, made without making physical contact

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

to make such a gesture towards a person

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of air kiss

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The couple settled on an air kiss instead.

From BBC • Jan. 20, 2025

Some colleagues patted Cawthorn’s back and shook his hand before quickly stepping past him in that distinctly Washington version of the air kiss.

From Washington Post • Oct. 11, 2022

She smiled, assuming I recognized her, leaned in for an air kiss and said "hi there, sweetie" in her signature coo.

From Salon • Sep. 14, 2020

This wolf of Wall Street delivered a maiden press briefing with self-assurance and swagger that culminated with an air kiss to the White House press corps.

From The Guardian • Jul. 17, 2020

“Good boy,” she said, and gave me an air kiss.

From "Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key" by Jack Gantos

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023