kiss

¹ American  

[kis] / kɪs /

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).

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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.

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.

KISS ² American  

[kis] / kɪs /

noun

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

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kiss ¹ British  

/ 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

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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 British  

abbreviation

1. keep it simple, stupid

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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of kiss

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

Example Sentences

He actually doesn’t want to kiss all the time, leading to a brief appearance and disappearance of cast members Chloe Fineman and Sherman, unless its Ben Marshall.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026

And he did kiss Alexa, which could complicate things.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

As the synth grows louder, the two kiss under the dance floor’s blue and yellow lights.

From Salon • Mar. 1, 2026

"I believe you must not let arguments brew," said Joy, who also believes that you should always end the day with a kiss.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026

“Wash your hands, wipe your feet, give me a kiss, sit down and eat.”

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

Related Words

• brush
• glance
• graze
• greet
• salute