kiss

verb

ˈkis How to pronounce kiss (audio)
Definition of kissnext
1
as in to cuddle
to touch one another with the lips as a sign of love it's traditional for couples to kiss under the mistletoe at Christmastime

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to brush
to pass lightly across or touch gently especially in passing a gentle breeze kissing the water's surface

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of kiss Osment and Jordan’s characters first kissed in season 5, when the actress was 29 and the actor was 18. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Oct. 2026 The apples of the cheeks should be touched with the a similar shade of bronze that may be kissing the eyelids, and layered under a fresh peach or tangerine, Schoen said. — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026 But Shauf is less a mystery author than the proprietor of an intricate dollhouse, making his figurines fight and kiss in cross-sectioned rooms. — Lily Goldberg, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026 The trailer begins as Ziegler’s Mae frantically asks family friend Benny, played by a sleepy Rob Lowe, for help after her big mistake — kissing the wrong brother between Graham Phillips’ Andrew and Elias Kacavas’ Theo. — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for kiss
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kiss
  1. cuddle
  2. brush
  3. smooch
  4. caress
  5. hug
  6. touch
  7. snuggle
Verb
  • But yes, getting to cuddle a puppy is obviously part of the appeal.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The second image the Big Bang Theory alum shared was of Philomena being cuddled by her big sister, Matilda, whom Cuoco and her actor fiancé Tom Pelphrey, 44, welcomed in March 2023.
    — Clare Fisher, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of cuddle
Verb
  • Instead, brush the slices with garlic-herb oil and roast them, hands-off.
    — Rick Martinez, Bon Appetit Magazine, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Amit Segal, a political commentator for Channel 12 who is deeply influential on the right, on Tuesday tried to brush off Arab voters’ electoral potential.
    — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of brush
Verb
  • In July, Powell also shared a sweet photo of himself and Randolph smooching in a Fourth of July photo dump.
    — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The vinyl edition comes with some special gatefold artwork that appears to show Winter smooching Carnegie Hall’s namesake and builder, Andrew Carnegie.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of smooch
Verb
  • The most sensual scene in the movie is actually a dance number at a public gathering where the two characters slowly sway and caress each other, much to the horror and confusion of the other townsfolk.
    — Whitney Friedlander, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
  • As if that same sea that caresses the feet of the palms were doing it now in Tokyo, in your house.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of caress
Verb
  • Lexington is the sort of place where the arrival of your luggage at a baggage claim carousel is accompanied by the bugle strains of the call to the post, where Citation Boulevard hugs the north edges of the city and Man o’War Boulevard the south.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Four years ago, crowds filled the central square of this southern port city, draped in Ukrainian flags and hugging the troops who had ended months of Russian occupation.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of hug
Verb
  • Someone else touched his face and a clean tong without washing hands between those two actions.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Woodman said in prior reporting that Tori Borst of the Lincoln Area Chamber of Commerce intervened during the interaction, telling Andreatta to stop touching Pagano and step back.
    — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of touch
Verb
  • There’s even a handy pocket to hold your smartphone, headphones, and other tiny in-flight essentials, and its plush material is cozy to snuggle up to.
    — Kristy Alpert, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Every wiggle and wobble, every snuffle and squeak of six newborn puppies snuggling together in Finland is captured by cameras monitoring their development in the first weeks of their lives.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of snuggle

Phrases Containing kiss

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kismets
kiss
kissable
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Cite this Entry

“Kiss.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kiss. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

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