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Glite Dictionary
to blow a kiss

to blow a kiss

3 2.7
To touch your lips with one hand then move that hand toward someone to show love
  • phrasal verb
  • /bloʊ ə kɪs/
translation icon : enviar un beso
  • Dan grinned at Leslie, who laughed and blew a kiss at him.
  • blew a kiss to the crowd
  • blew a kiss toward the camera
  • waved and blew a kiss

Examples

  • Antonio blows a kiss to his friend and waves as Franciscus is carried away.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • "See you tomorrow night," she calls, and blows a kiss to the tall, dark-haired man stepping into the boarding tunnel.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • I could feel Jon wanting me to wave or blow a kiss or something.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Just before Gelana crossed the finish line in London, she raised her hand and blew a kiss to the crowd.

    Blog text (29)

  • "Come in, come in!" I blow a kiss to Carlos, who looks a little sheepish in the kitchen doorway.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • "I welcome you to the circle, COTO!" She bowed at the shoulders, then blew a kiss to someplace above my head.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Lady Buckskin hits a bull's-eye and bows to the crowd, blowing kisses.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • As the waterbus pulled away again, raising salty spumes in its wake, she blew a kiss toward the sun worshipper and his comrades.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Tully winks at Flora and blows a kiss to Fauna; they giggle madly.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • As she boarded the train, she turned and blew a kiss to her friends waiting on the platform.

Synonyms

to throw someone a kiss
vsto blow a kiss
1 3.5

Kiss your hand and blow the kiss toward someone

is specific in using an actual blow rather than only a gesture

How Affectionate

to embrace
142 2.8
to hug
336 1.0
to kiss
∞ 1.0
to blow a kiss
3 2.7
wave
127 1.0

Surface Forms

blow a kiss infinitive
blowing a kiss present participle
blows a kiss third person singular
blew a kiss past
blown a kiss past participle

Morphology

blow + a + kiss

The components 'blow' (move air) and 'kiss' (act of affection) combine to give a fairly direct image of 'sending' or projecting a kiss, so a B1 learner who knows both words can often infer the general idea. However, the precise conventional gesture (kissing the hand and blowing the kiss toward someone) is cultural and somewhat metaphorical rather than strictly compositional, so full understanding may require prior exposure or pragmatic knowledge.

Etymology

Blow a kiss comes from the simple action of kissing your hand and then blowing air to send the kiss toward someone far away. So, this gesture came to mean 'to show love' or 'say goodbye' from a distance.