kiss

¹

[kis]

verb (used with object)

1. 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.

2. to join lips with in this way.

   She kissed him and left.

3. to touch gently or lightly.

   The breeze kissed her face.

4. to put, bring, take, etc., by, or as if by, kissing.

   She kissed the baby's tears away.

5. Billiards, Pool.,  (of a ball) to make slight contact with or brush (another ball).

verb (used without object)

1. to join lips in respect, affection, love, passion, etc..

   They kissed passionately.

2. to express a thought, feeling, etc., by a contact of the lips.

   They kissed goodbye at the station.

3. to purse and then part the lips, emitting a smacking sound, as in kissing someone.

4. Billiards, Pool.,  (of a ball) to carom gently off or touch another ball.

noun

1. an act or instance of kissing.

2. a slight touch or contact.

3. Billiards, Pool.,  the slight touch of one ball by another.

4. a baked confection of egg whites and confectioners' sugar, served as a cookie.

5. a piece of toffeelike confectionery, sometimes containing nuts, coconut, or the like.

6. a small, sometimes conical, bite-size piece of chocolate, usually individually wrapped.

verb phrase

1. kiss off

   1. to reject, dismiss, or ignore.

      He kissed off their objections with a wave of his hand.

   2. (used to express contemptuous rejection or dismissal).

   3. to give up, renounce, or dispense with.

      Leaving Tulsa meant kissing off a promising job.

KISS

²

[kis]

noun

1. keep it simple, stupid: the principle that a product, service, system, etc., should be easy to learn and use.

kiss

¹

/ kɪs /

verb

1. (tr) to touch with the lips or press the lips against as an expression of love, greeting, respect, etc

2. (intr) to join lips with another person in an act of love or desire

3. to touch (each other) lightly

   their hands kissed

4. billiards (of balls) to touch (each other) lightly while moving

noun

1. the act of kissing; a caress with the lips

2. a light touch

3. a small light sweet or cake, such as one made chiefly of egg white and sugar

   coffee kisses

KISS

²

abbreviation

1. keep it simple, stupid

Other Word Forms

• outkiss verb (used with object)
• unkissed adjective
• kissable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of kiss¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of kiss¹

Old English cyssan, from coss; compare Old High German kussen, Old Norse kyssa

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. kiss ass, to be obsequious; fawn.

2. 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.

Example Sentences

The team also concluded that Neanderthals, our extinct human relatives, likely kissed as well.

Read more on Science Daily

I’m going to kiss you all the time.’”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

There the Napoli midfielder stood, all alone, blowing a kiss up to his loved ones.

Read more on BBC

Their study suggests that the mouth-on-mouth kiss evolved more than 21 million years ago, and was something that the common ancestor of humans and other great apes probably indulged in.

Read more on BBC

The air above me kisses my cheeks with a refreshing breeze—the kind of weather that turns on the part of your brain that screams, Let’s have fun!

Read more on Literature

Related Words

• brush 
• glance 
• graze 
• greet 
• salute