kiss
verb (used with object)
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..
kiss
1 American
[kis]
/ kɪs /
verb (used with object)
-
kisses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
kissed,
past participle, past
-
kissing
present participle
-
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.
-
to join lips with in this way.
She kissed him and left.
-
to touch gently or lightly.
The breeze kissed her face.
-
to put, bring, take, etc., by, or as if by, kissing.
She kissed the baby's tears away.
-
Billiards, Pool. (of a ball) to make slight contact with or brush (another ball).
verb (used without object)
-
kisses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
kissed,
past participle, past
-
kissing
present participle
-
to join lips in respect, affection, love, passion, etc..
They kissed passionately.
-
to express a thought, feeling, etc., by a contact of the lips.
They kissed goodbye at the station.
-
to purse and then part the lips, emitting a smacking sound, as in kissing someone.
-
Billiards, Pool. (of a ball) to carom gently off or touch another ball.
noun
-
kisses
plural
-
an act or instance of kissing.
-
a slight touch or contact.
-
Billiards, Pool. the slight touch of one ball by another.
-
a baked confection of egg whites and confectioners' sugar, served as a cookie.
-
a piece of toffeelike confectionery, sometimes containing nuts, coconut, or the like.
-
a small, sometimes conical, bite-size piece of chocolate, usually individually wrapped.
verb phrase
idioms
-
kiss ass, to be obsequious; fawn.
-
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
kiss
1
British
/ kɪs /
verb
-
(tr) to touch with the lips or press the lips against as an expression of love, greeting, respect, etc
-
(intr) to join lips with another person in an act of love or desire
-
to touch (each other) lightly
their hands kissed
-
billiards (of balls) to touch (each other) lightly while moving
noun
-
the act of kissing; a caress with the lips
-
a light touch
-
a small light sweet or cake, such as one made chiefly of egg white and sugar
coffee kisses
KISS
2
British
abbreviation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
kisssimple
-
kissessimple
-
have kissedperfect
-
has kissedperfect
-
am kissingprogressive
-
are kissingprogressive
-
is kissingprogressive
-
have been kissingperfect progressive
-
has been kissingperfect progressive
Past
-
kissedsimple
-
had kissedperfect
-
was kissingprogressive
-
were kissingprogressive
-
had been kissingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
To kiss is to touch someone's face or lips with your own lips. Most people kiss each other as a way of saying "Hello!" or because they love each other. You might kiss your grandma on the cheek, kiss your girlfriend on the mouth, or kiss your dog on his furry head. In each case, you're using an ancient human practice that anthropologists believe evolved either from a basic instinct, or perhaps from the habit of mothers feeding their babies pre-chewed food, mouth-to-mouth. Colloquially, you can "kiss something goodbye," or accept the fact that you'll lose it — and "the kiss of death" is something sure to bring failure.
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.
See Examples For:
After their sentences were handed down, Lee appeared to pray as he was led out of the dock, while Chow blew a kiss to those seated in the public gallery.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
Santos sarcastically thanked Kalshi for his ban, tweeting “Let’s see how much longer you guys are around for” with a kiss mark emoji.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026
Sealed with a kiss and delivered with a snarl, the band closed its rip-roaring set with the anthemic battle cry of “Rebel Girl,” and were flanked onstage by a few lucky young fans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
Outside the courthouse, they embraced one another with a deep, 10-second kiss in front of a pack of journalists and onlookers.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
But when I think about that first kiss being with Alex, it also makes my knees weak.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Mr. Simmons is a co-founder and bass player of KISS.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Spears, 44, joins a growing list of artists who have sold their music rights in recent years including Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan, as well as Shakira and KISS.
From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026
In August, Trump announced his picks for Kennedy Center honors, including actor and filmmaker Sylvester Stallone, glam-rockers KISS, singer Gloria Gaynor, country music star George Strait and English actor and comedian Michael Crawford.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2025
Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley, founding guitarist for the American rock band KISS, has died aged 74, his family announced in a statement reported in US media.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2025
But Dalton, Ralph, and I showed up that morning, all dressed as Gene Simmons from KISS.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
If anything, Grande is having a blast - teetering around in perilous heels, blowing kisses to the audience and embracing the physical and vocal demands of her show.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Within moments of the series’ opening, she’s sliding a pie in the oven and futzing over tiny tarts and meringue kisses to photograph for her Hungry with Hollis followers.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
Shatner and Nichelle Nichols, a Black actress who played Lieutenant Uhura, made history in 1968 with one of the first interracial kisses ever seen on US television.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
Meloni received Rubio politely, with the customary Italian cheek kisses and brief hug, but without the demonstrative warmth she sometimes shows other dignitaries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
He lifts his brown bag to his face and kisses it.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
Thiele: There was one where we kissed and one where we didn’t, where we just talked.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
On the top of the building, Kuznetsov went down on one knee and appeared to propose to Nikolau, before they kissed and embraced as news helicopters swirled around them.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
"They cried, and they laughed and they danced, and they hugged and they kissed."
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
The indictment includes claims that he grabbed the woman in the then city centre Yes Bar, put his arms around her and kissed her on the mouth.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
I leaned over Fig, snoozing on my unmade bed, and kissed his snout.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
But jet fuel and diesel are the kissing cousins of the energy world, both coming from the same middle-distillate group at the refining stage.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
For his video discussing the book he used an edition with a colorful pop-art cover of a couple kissing, which is sold out in several bookstores in Rio de Janeiro.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
“Happy wife, happy life,” Monfils said after kissing his doubles partner to celebrate their second victory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
There was little jeopardy involved and Fury appeared to be enjoying himself, even sharing a playful moment by kissing his opponent on the head.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
“When we landed, our fellow pilots began hugging and kissing us,” Serafima said.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
