/ kɪs; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
1.
to touch sb with your lips as a sign of love, affection, sexual desire, etc., or when saying hello or goodbye :
[ v ]
They stood in a doorway kissing (= kissing each other) .
Do people in Britain kiss when they meet?
[ vn ]
Go and kiss your mother goodnight.
She kissed him on both cheeks.
He lifted the trophy up and kissed it.
—see also air kiss
2.
[ vn ] ( literary ) to gently move or touch sth :
The sunlight kissed the warm stones.
•
IDIOMS
- kiss and tell
- kiss sb's arse
- kiss sth better
- kiss sth goodbye | kiss goodbye to sth
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- kiss sth away
■ noun
the act of kissing sb/sth :
Come here and give me a kiss !
a kiss on the cheek
We were greeted with hugs and kisses .
•
IDIOMS
- the kiss of death
- the kiss of life
SYN mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
•
IDIOMS
see steal verb
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English cyssan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch kussen and German küssen .