kiss
kiss / kis/ • v. [tr.] touch with the lips as a sign of love, sexual desire, reverence, or greeting: he kissed her on the lips | [tr.] she kissed the children goodnight | [intr.] we started kissing. ∎ Billiards (of a ball) lightly touch (another ball) in passing.• n. 1. a touch with the lips in kissing. ∎ Billiards a slight touch of a ball against another ball. ∎ used to express affection at the end of a letter (conventionally represented by the letter X): she sent lots of love and a whole line of kisses. 2. a small cake or cookie, typically a meringue. ∎ a small candy, esp. one made of chocolate.PHRASES: kiss and tell chiefly derog. recount one's sexual exploits, esp. to the media concerning a famous person: [as adj.] this isn't a kiss-and-tell book. kiss something good-bye inf. accept the certain loss of something: I could kiss my career good-bye.kiss of death an action or event that causes certain failure for an enterprise: it would be the kiss of death for the company if it could be proved that the food was unsafe.PHRASAL VERBS: kiss someone/something off inf. dismiss someone rudely; end a relationship abruptly.kiss up to inf. behave sycophantically or obsequiously toward (someone) in order to obtain something.DERIVATIVES: kiss·a·ble adj.
