💋 To touch with lips 💋 A loving touch 🌬️ To touch gently 🍬 A sweet treat 🌬️ A gentle touch

to kiss

50 7.5

To touch something gently in a pleasing way, like a breeze or sunlight

verb
/kɪs/

Literature

: acariciar

Aunt Clara kissed me on the cheek, and I followed Aunt Edith to her car.
sun kissed skin
kissed lightly
kissed gently

Myriads of bees, yellow girded bees for winds to kiss and grateful bees to feed.

Autoplay Next

Examples

I imagined them together, kissing in that roped hammock in her backyard.

Fiction book (1995)
"Then it is settled!" Allegra bent to kiss Isobel on both cheeks.

Fiction book (1991)
I saw you try and kiss her today, out on the road.

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006)
But he could not kiss her thus, and she seemed to leave no other way.

Academic text (2005)
I could almost kiss the stars for shining so bright.
Then it bowed over her, as if it intended to kiss her hand or pray for her.

Fiction book (1994)
I was very young, but I was imagining kissing her and marrying her.

Buffalo '66 (1998)
His hand slid into her hair and he kissed her, familiar and tender and soft.
The soft breeze seemed to kiss my cheeks as I walked through the blooming garden.
The gentle rain would kiss the earth, nourishing the plants during the warm summer days.

Synonyms

to touch

vsto kiss

∞ 1.0

To put your hand or body on something to feel it

adds a sense of poetic tenderness and gentle feeling to the contact

to brush

vsto kiss

133 1.6

To touch something lightly while passing by

is more deliberately tender and meant to evoke softness rather than passing touch

to caress

vsto kiss

55 3.4

To touch someone or something gently to show love

evokes tender, gentle contact in a poetic, nonliteral way

lick

vsto kiss

22 1.0

A touch that the tongue makes to taste or clean

captures gentle, airy sensation rather than moist or tongue contact

to nuzzle

vsto kiss

11 3.4

To gently press the nose or face against someone to show affection

conveys the same tenderness but as a delicate, airy image

to smack

vsto kiss

Informal

8 4.0

To give a quick kiss that makes a small sound

suggests quiet, tender touching rather than noisy quick contact

to peck

vsto kiss

4 2.0

To kiss someone quickly and lightly

is gentler and more evocative than a short, casual contact

to give a smooch

vsto kiss

Informal

7.3

To kiss someone quickly and affectionately

is more poetic and subtle rather than warm and playful physical contact

to osculate

vsto kiss

Formal

9.9

Touch someone with the lips to greet or show affection

focuses on soft, tender sensation rather than explicit lip contact

Idioms

kiss my ass

Offensive

49 9.9

To tell someone rudely that you do not care about their opinion or order

to kiss and make up

Informal

12 3.4

To become friendly again after an argument

kiss of death

7 6.2

An action or event that causes something to fail completely

cold as a witch's kiss

Literature

9.9

Showing no warmth or feeling

as simple as kiss your hand

8.4

Very easy for anyone to understand or do

to kiss the gunner's daughter

NSFW

9.9

To be whipped as punishment while bent over a cannon

to kiss someone's ring

Informal

8.9

To show too much respect and do what a person in power wants

Phrasal Verbs

to kiss up

Informal

16 7.9

Say nice things to someone to get their help or a reward

to kiss ass

Offensive

8 9.5

To try to please someone in power to get an advantage

to blow a kiss

3 2.7

To touch your lips with one hand then move that hand toward someone to show love

to kiss off

Offensive

2 8.7

Reject someone or something rudely and tell them to go away

to kiss goodbye

Informal

2 5.0

Give up hope of getting something you want

to throw someone a kiss

1 3.5

Kiss your hand and blow the kiss toward someone

Compounds

French kiss

NSFW

6 3.3

A kiss where one person puts their tongue into the other's mouth

chocolate kiss

1 2.6

A small cone of chocolate wrapped in shiny foil

deep kiss

NSFW

1 4.1

A long open-mouthed kiss where people touch tongues

kiss and cry

Jargon

1 9.4

An area at competitions like figure skating where athletes and coaches wait for scores and show emotion

kiss curl

1 8.5

A small lock of hair shaped to lie flat on the forehead or cheek as decoration

soul kiss

NSFW

1 7.8

An open-mouthed touch of lips and tongue to show strong feeling

candy kiss

2.3

A small wrapped piece of chocolate you eat in one bite

Aussie kiss

Australian

9.9

A light kiss where two people touch noses and keep their eyes open

freedom kiss

6.8

A kiss given to show love, freedom, or celebration

kiss of life

3.4

A way to breathe air into someone's lungs to make them start breathing again

kiss of life

Informal

6.1

An action that helps a failing project or business recover and continue

kiss of peace

Formal

9.1

A short greeting in church to show love and unity

kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate

9.9

A garden plant with broad leaves and long hanging red flower spikes

kiss-up attitude

Offensive

7.9

A way of behaving that praises people in charge to get their favor

meringue kiss

5.9

A small sweet made from whipped egg whites and sugar, baked until crisp

molasses kiss

8.6

A small chewy sweet made from thick dark sugar syrup, often wrapped

Glasgow kiss

Offensive

9.9

A strong headbutt used to hurt someone in a fight

mwah-mwah kiss

Texting

8.8

A playful sound people make without touching when they blow a kiss

Scotch kiss

9.8

A small butterscotch candy shaped like a kiss with a soft marshmallow center

How Gentle

to brush

133 1.6

to kiss

Literature

50 7.5

to caress

55 3.4

to embrace

142 2.8

Surface Forms

kiss infinitive

kissed past

kissed past participle

kissing present participle

kisses third person singular

Etymology

Kiss can be used in a poetic way to mean 'touch lightly', since people thought a soft breeze or drop of rain might touch the skin as gently as lips do.