kiss and tell

verb

To betray a confidence by disclosing private information, especially of a sexual nature.

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Meanings

verbkiss and tell (third-person singular simple present kisses and tells, present participle kissing and telling, simple past and past participle kissed and told)

present singular third person kisses and tells · participle present kissing and telling · participle past kissed and told · past kissed and told

  1. idiomaticinformalintransitiveTo betray a confidence by disclosing private information, especially of a sexual nature.

    While I told Joe all about my Beth, and he told me about his Ellen, a student at Northwestern, I did not go into any details about my sex life; I have never liked to kiss and tell, even though I suppose that's what I'm doing in these pages.

    2007, Robert Ayres Carter, Nobody yet Knows Who I Am: A Personal History: 1943-1953, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN, page 34

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 洩密 /泄密
  • 洩密 /泄密 (xièmì)betray a confidence by disclosing private information
Finnish laverrella
  • laverrellabetray a confidence by disclosing private information
Polish opowiadać publicznie o swoim życiu prywatnym
  • opowiadać publicznie o swoim życiu prywatnymbetray a confidence by disclosing private information
Cite this entry
APA

kiss and tell. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kiss%20and%20tell

MLA

“kiss and tell.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kiss%20and%20tell. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kiss and tell,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kiss%20and%20tell.

Source: kiss and tell on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.