To smooch is to kiss and hold someone in a slow romantic way — the two people are close together, often dancing very slowly, and there is no hurry about it. It is a verb, usually with two people as the subject: "they were smooching in the corner all night." It is also a noun, both for the activity ("a bit of a smooch") and, in British use especially, for a single kiss — "give me a smooch" is a light, affectionate thing to say. The word's real information is its tone. It is informal, playful and slightly old-fashioned, and it is nearly always said with a smile — by a friend teasing you, by a parent, in a headline. Because it is teasing, it can quietly say the speaker finds the couple a bit silly or sweet, so it is not a word for a serious romantic moment. There is a related use in music: a smoochy song, or a smooch, is a slow number at the end of a dance where couples hold each other. Americans are more likely to say make out for the same behaviour, and make out sounds rather more physical; smooch stays gentler.