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

He signs off with an air kiss.

From New York Times

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

After years of getting dragged through the tabloids and trotted out on reality shows like one of her beloved show ponies, she is both restored to dignity by Thompson’s concerned embrace and pushed away with an air kiss.

From New York Times

"I am honored and so thrilled actually, and tickled to be here tonight to roast my husband, Nick Jonas, and his brothers, whose names I can never remember," Chopra said front and center, eliciting applause from the audience and an air kiss from the singer.

From Fox News

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