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air kiss

American  

noun

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

air kiss British  

noun

  1. 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

  1. 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

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

She then blew an air kiss to the crowd.

From Washington Post • Apr. 7, 2019

She mastered the Cuban greeting — an air kiss doled out as abundantly as, well, air, even if you just met the person.

From New York Times • Oct. 3, 2016

“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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.