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to give a smooch

to give a smooch

7.3
To kiss someone quickly and affectionately
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : dar un beso
  • She gave a smooch to her baby.

Examples

  • She leaned over to give a smooch to her daughter before leaving.

  • Before the train departed, he stopped to give a smooch to his wife.

  • It's our anniversary—you have to give a smooch to me!

  • Can you give a smooch to your mom?

  • She gave her dog a smooch on the nose after he did a trick.

  • At the end of the date, he leaned in to give her a smooch goodbye.

  • The children giggled as their mother gave them each a smooch before bed.

Synonyms

to kiss
vsto give a smooch
1.0

To touch someone with your lips to show love, greeting, or respect

is limited to warm playful kisses rather than formal greetings or respect
to smooch
vsto give a smooch
  • Informal
11 4.9

To kiss a person or animal in a playful, loving way

is the identical idea but expressed as an action phrase
to canoodle
vsto give a smooch
  • Archaic
5 9.1

Kiss and hold someone in a playful or loving way

is narrower, meaning a simple affectionate playful kiss only
smooching
vsto give a smooch
  • Informal
4 7.0

Kissing and cuddling in a playful or romantic way

focuses on a playful affectionate kiss rather than including cuddling
to peck
vsto give a smooch
4 2.0

To kiss someone quickly and lightly

is more affectionate and playful rather than quick and light

Antonyms

839 1.9

Refuse to accept someone or something

7 6.3

To ignore someone on purpose to show disrespect

How Affectionate

to snog
  • NSFW
34 8.7
to give a smooch
  • Informal
7.3
to kiss
1.0
peck
31 2.6

Surface Forms

give a smooch infinitive
given a smooch past participle
giving a smooch present participle
gives a smooch third person singular

Morphology

give + a + smooch

The meaning is directly composed from 'give' (to provide) + 'a' + 'smooch' (a quick affectionate kiss), so a learner who knows the constituents can infer it means to give/offer a kiss. The pattern parallels common, cross-linguistic constructions like 'give a hug' or 'give a kiss', making the expression immediately predictable rather than idiomatic.

Etymology

Give a smooch is a little picture: you lean in and press a quick, soft kiss, where give shows the action and smooch is the gentle kiss. So, it means 'to kiss someone affectionately'.