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necking

necking

1 8.2
Kissing and gentle touching in a romantic way without touching private parts
  • noun
  • /ˈnɛkɪŋ/
  • NSFW
translation icon : acariciar
  • She drove around the block, and in an alley down the street, she saw the two of them pressed up against a brick wall, necking.
  • necking and petting
  • little necking
  • old-fashioned necking

too long. We can. Well, we can do it spiritually. OK, Spiritual necking. How's that

Examples

  • To her surprise, snuggling turned into necking, and their necking escalated into petting, as if they were a couple of teenagers, for God's sake.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • How about you and I giving this joint the air and indulging in some snappy necking?

  • It's a wonderful spot for a little heavy necking.

  • Ma-making out is what used to be called necking.

  • Mother planned for our dinner did get a little singed while Peter and I engaged in a spontaneous spot of necking.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The film follows him, his friends, and their vehicles through a late summer night in early 1960s California: cruising the main drag, racing on the back streets, and necking.

    Blog text (10)
  • She gasps and pants like a sixteen-year-old necking on a bench in the municipal park.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Alone among the necking couples—mostly soldiers with their Egyptian girlfriends—in an otherwise empty block is Katharine.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • They were caught necking in the backseat of the car during the drive-in movie.

  • After dinner, they enjoyed some private necking under the stars.

Synonyms

kissing
vsnecking
  • NSFW
100 1.0

Touching someone's lips to show love or say hello

is more sexual and aims at arousal rather than simple greeting or affection
petting
vsnecking
  • NSFW
34 7.1

Touching someone in a loving or sexual way, often on the body

is similar but places more emphasis on lip contact alongside stroking
to neck
vsnecking
  • NSFW
12 8.2

To kiss and hold someone in a sexual way, often in public

is the same actions but not limited to public places and is foreplay without genitals
fondling
vsnecking
  • NSFW
4 9.2

To touch someone gently in a loving way, often before sex

adds more lip contact and kissing as part of the same foreplay
smooching
vsnecking
  • Informal
4 7.0

Kissing and cuddling in a playful or romantic way

is more explicitly sexual foreplay even when it includes gentle affection
caressing
vsnecking
1 3.9

A gentle, affectionate touch or stroke showing love

is specifically sexual foreplay focused on kissing and touching without genitals
snogging
vsnecking
  • NSFW
1 9.4

Kissing and cuddling in a romantic way

is more sexually charged and focused on foreplay rather than casual affection
Frenching
vsnecking
  • NSFW
1 8.4

To kiss someone with your tongue

is broader, covering kissing and touching not limited to tongue action
tonguing
vsnecking
  • NSFW
8.5

Kissing someone using the tongue in a passionate way

is less focused on tongue use and more on general lip and body contact

Compounds

rubber-necking
  • Informal
7.5

Looking at sights while travelling, often as a tourist

How Intimate

to make out
  • NSFW
130 8.1
petting
  • NSFW
34 7.1
necking
  • NSFW
1 8.2
to kiss
1.0
peck
31 2.6

Surface Forms

necking singular
neckings plural

Morphology

necking = neck (semi-transparent) = neck + ing

Derived from the verb 'neck' with the gerund/nominal '-ing'; while morphologically regular, the colloquial/idiomatic sexual sense may not be obvious to learners who only know 'neck' as a body part.

Etymology

Necking meaning kissing and caressing comes from the word neck, the 'body part'. Lovers often kissed each other's necks, so necking came to mean 'kissing and caressing'.