smacking your lips

Meanings

1. 1phraseidiom

   Making a loud, sucking noise with your lips, often to show you are enjoying food or drink.

   Grammar: Used in the progressive; the possessive adjective changes with the subject: 'smacking my lips', 'smacking his lips'.

   Patterns

   • smack your lips
   • be smacking your lips

   He was smacking his lips as he tasted the soup.

   She sat down and smacked her lips in delight at the dessert.

   The baby smacked his lips after drinking his milk.

2. 2phraseidiomfigurative

   Showing eagerness or anticipation, especially about something you want.

   Grammar: Often used figuratively with 'over' or 'at': 'smacking their lips over the deal'.

   Patterns

   • smack your lips over something
   • smack your lips at something

   The reporters were smacking their lips over the scandal.

   Investors are smacking their lips at the prospect of lower taxes.

Common combinations

smack your lips in delight

He smacked his lips in delight at the first bite.

smack your lips over something

The critics were smacking their lips over the new film.

smack your lips together

She smacked her lips together and reached for more.

smack your lips loudly

He smacked his lips loudly, which annoyed everyone.

Synonyms and how they differ

lick your lips

To move your tongue over your lips, often because you are hungry or eager; 'smack your lips' is about the noise, not the tongue movement.

lick your chops

Informal and often figurative, meaning to look forward to something; similar but less about the sound.

Commonly confused: smacking your lips or smack?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “smacking your lips”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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