kiss

1 of 2

verb

ˈkis 

kissed; kissing; kisses

transitive verb

1

: to touch (someone or something) with the lips especially as a mark of affection or greeting

kissed their children goodnight

2

: to touch (someone or something) gently or lightly

wind gently kissing the trees

intransitive verb

1

: to salute or caress one another with the lips

2

: to come in gentle contact

kissable

ˈki-sə-bəl 

adjective

kiss

2 of 2

noun

1

: a caress with the lips

a range of kisses from a passionate embrace to a friendly peck

2

: a gentle touch or contact

3

a

: a small drop cookie made of meringue

b

: a bite-size piece of candy often wrapped in paper or foil

4

: an expression of affection

sent him kisses in her letter

Phrases

kiss ass

vulgar : to act obsequiously especially to gain favor

kiss goodbye

1

: leave

2

: to resign oneself to the loss of

kiss one's ass

vulgar : to act obsequiously toward one especially to gain favor

kiss up to

: to curry favor with

Synonyms

Verb

• cuddle
• smooch
• hug
• snuggle

Examples of kiss in a Sentence

Verb

They kissed each other passionately.

She kissed him good night.

I'll never forget the night we first kissed.

When he got off the plane he knelt down and kissed the ground.

The tree's branches kissed the ground below.

Noun

He gave her a kiss on the cheek.

She greeted him with a hug and a kiss.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The two were photographed hugging, kissing and holding hands in different outfits for the spread. —Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025

This yuckster attitude was apparently contagious, because Gray herself got in on the act on a day in which she was scheduled to kiss the young hunk Christopher Atkins, who had a recurring role for one season as a camp counselor. —Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Sep. 2025

Noun

Before the Material Girl’s publicist, Liz Rosenberg, finally whisked her away, air kisses were exchanged. —Justin Ravitz, Rolling Stone, 6 Sep. 2025

More famously, there was the case of Astronomer CEO Andy Byron, caught with his chief people officer on a kiss cam at a Coldplay concert. —Ian Chaffee, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English cyssan; akin to Old High German kussen to kiss

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing kiss

• air-kiss
• blow (someone) a kiss
• butterfly kiss
• chef's kiss
• French kiss
• kiss and cry
• kiss and make up
• kiss-and-tell
• kiss of death
• kiss off
• kiss of life
• kiss of peace
• kiss someone's arse
• kiss someone's ass
• kiss something goodbye
• soul kiss
• steal a kiss
• the kiss of life
• throw (someone) a kiss

Rhymes for kiss

• bis
• bliss
• criss
• dis
• diss
• hiss
• kris
• liss
• mis
• miss
• riss
• sis

Kids Definition

kiss

1 of 2 verb

ˈkis 

1

: to touch with the lips as a mark of love or greeting

2

: to touch gently or lightly

wind gently kissing the trees

kissable

-ə-bəl 

adjective

kiss

2 of 2 noun

1

: a loving touch with the lips

2

: a gentle touch or contact

3

a

: a small cookie made of meringue

b

: a bite-size candy

a chocolate kiss