kissing bug

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noun

Informal.

a person much given to kissing.
an irresistible desire to kiss or be kissed.

any of several assassin bugs that attack humans, sometimes inflicting painful bites.

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Origin of kissing bug

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

Words nearby kissing bug

kissel, kisser, kiss good-bye, Kissimmee, kissing bridge, kissing bug, kissing cousin, kissing cousins, kissing disease, Kissinger, Kissinger, Henry

How to use kissing bug in a sentence

The kissing bug, a six-legged insect with two sets of wings and an exoskeleton slightly larger than a penny, has a disgusting way of making you sick.
What Is Bugging the Planet?|Stephen Starr|August 31, 2021|Ozy
One exception is the group known as kissing bugs, which feed on blood and transmit the parasite that causes Chagas disease in people.
Feast your eyes on this 50-million-year-old assassin bug and its exquisite genitalia|Kate Baggaley|January 20, 2021|Popular-Science
I was thinking about retiring from modeling, but spending that time with them rekindled that bug.
Porn Stars on the Year in Porn: Drone Erotica, Belle Knox, and Wild Sex|Aurora Snow|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Simple joys of life—hugging, kissing, coloring—they have been taken away,” she says.
The Radio Battle to Educate Ebola’s Kids|Abby Haglage|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

That statistic is based on a survey that includes attempted forced kissing as sexual assault.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: Dec. 7|PunditFact.com|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Under that definition, forced kissing can certainly constitute as a form of sexual assault.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: Dec. 7|PunditFact.com|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There are legitimate criticisms of the study, but not because it includes “attempted forced kissing,” as Lowry suggested.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: Dec. 7|PunditFact.com|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But my faver says it's un-man-ly to be always kissing, and I did n't fink you'd do vat, Coppy.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
In the wagon a fellow is in the act of kissing a girl, while an old woman belabours him about the head.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries|Charles G. Harper
The chambermaid is otherwise engaged, for an amorous spark is seen to be kissing her in the open doorway.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries|Charles G. Harper
The men stood around bug-eyed and stared incredulously—all but High-Pockets.
Nine Men in Time|Noel Miller Loomis
Do not make any display of affection for even your dearest friend; kissing in public, or embracing, are in bad taste.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley

British Dictionary definitions for kissing bug

kissing bug

noun

a North American assassin bug, Melanolestes picipes, with a painful bite, usually attacking the lips or cheeks of man

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