Anal sex most often refers to the sex act involving insertion of the penis into the rectum. The term anal sex can also sometimes include other sexual acts involving the anus, including but not limited to anilingus and fingering.

In the context of BDSM, bondage involves people being tied up or otherwise restrained for pleasure. Bondage is usually, but not always, a sexual practice. The paraphilia of being sexually aroused by bondage is sometimes known as vincilagnia.

The fact that mainstream ‘high street' adult shops find it worthwhile to also stock some bondage equipment suggests that some otherwise ‘vanilla' couples incorporate elements of bondage into their sex lives at some point in their relationships. Leaving aside those couples who are themselves part of the BDSM ‘community', the use of bondage within couples tends to be very different from and separate from that normally associated with BDSM. Couples' private bondage games largely take place behind closed doors, and constitute foreplay, usually as a prelude to the couple having sex. There may or may not be some elements of dominance and submission involved as part of role play, but sadism and/or masochism rarely play any part unless the couple already has such leanings. This contrasts with activity in the BDSM subculture, where the emphasis is often more on bondage for its own sake, frequently ending in masturbation only, or indeed involving no sexual contact at all. These differences can lead to misunderstanding if couples who have tried private bondage games encounter the BDSM subculture. Trusting couples can't understand the need for safe-words, while the members of the subculture can't understand why couples mainly see bondage as a part of sexual intercourse.

Cunnilingus is the act of using the mouth, lips, and tongue to stimulate the female genitals. The clitoris is particularly noted as the most sexually sensitive part of the female genitalia. Shere Hite notes that most women achieve orgasm easily from clitoral stimulation as part of cunnilingus. The term comes from an alternative Latin word for the vulva (cunnus) and from the Latin word for tongue (lingua). A person who performs cunnilingus may be referred to as a "cunnilinguist".

There are numerous slang terms for cunnilingus, including "drinking from the furry cup","dining at the Y", "licking out", "picking the daisies", "licking the peach", "going down" or "eating out", "smack clam", "munch rug", "dining at the pink taco stand", "muff-diving", "carpet-munching", "yodelling in the canyon/valley", "feasting", "harvesting the salmon", and "eating the flower". In lesbian culture, several common slang terms used are "giving lip", "lip service", or "tipping the velvet" (an expression that novelist Sarah Waters claims to have "plucked from the relative obscurity of Victorian porn"). Older erotic literature refers to it as "gamahuching", with some variation in the spelling.

Fellatio, also called fellation, is oral sex performed upon the penis. It may be performed to induce orgasm and ejaculation of semen, or it can be used as foreplay prior to vaginal or anal forms of intercourse. Fellatio, or, more precisely, fellating to the point of orgasm, is commonly referred to as a blow job. Fellatio is sometimes referred to as "giving head", although this term can also apply to cunnilingus. An alternative method of oral sex performed on men is irrumatio.

Some receivers regard receiving oral sex as an ego boost, believing that such an act is a form of dominance over their sexual partner because of the overt submissive nature of the act; the giver may often be on their knees before the receiver to perform the act of pleasure. In ancient Greece, fellatio was referred to as "playing the flute"; the Kama Sutra has a chapter on oparishtaka, or "mouth congress."

Sexual fetishism, or erotic fetishism, is the sexual attraction to materials and objects not conventionally viewed as being sexual in nature; the term was first introduced by Alfred Binet, the psychologist better known for inventing IQ testing. Fetishism is diagnosable as a paraphilia in the DSM and the ICD, but only if the fetish causes significant distress for the person or has detrimental effects on important areas of his or her life. Many people embrace their fetishes rather than seek treatment to attempt to be rid of them. Body parts may also be the subject of sexual fetishes (also known as partialism) in which the body part preferred by the fetishist takes a sexual precedence over the owner. Sexual fetishism may be regarded as a disorder of sexual preference, or as an enhancing element to a relationship.

In a review of the files of all cases over a 20 year period who met criteria for an non-transvestic fetishes in a teaching hospital, 48 cases were identified, and the objects of their fetishes included clothing (58.3%), rubber and rubber items (22.9%), footwear (14.6%), body parts (14.6%), leather and leather items (10.4%), and soft materials and fabrics (6.3%).

In human sexual behavior, foreplay is a set of intimate psychological and physical acts between two or more people meant to increase sexual arousal.Foreplay involves different acts such as kissing, touching, embracing, talking, and teasing (teasing, in this case, may include methods of satisfaction, such as erotic sexual denial).[1] Sexual stimulation of all kinds, such as manual or oral stimulation of erogenous zones are considered foreplay. Sexual role playing, fetish activities, and BDSM can also be considered foreplay, though they may also accompany intercourse and not just precede it. Of the various forms of foreplay, the most common include fellatio and cunnilingus.

Psychologically, foreplay lowers inhibitions and increases the emotional comfort of the partners. Physically, it stimulates the process that produces an erection in men, allowing them to penetrate an orifice. In women, it helps stimulate the process that leads to erection of the clitoris, raising of the cervix (elongation of the vaginal canal), and the production of vaginal lubrication, allowing penetration to take place comfortably.

The Gräfenberg spot, or G-spot, is a female erogenous zone which when stimulated leads to high levels of sexual arousal and powerful orgasms.

The purported location of the G-spot has changed over time. Two primary methods have been used to attempt to locate it:

The first is based on self-reported levels of arousal during stimulation and the second based on the claim that stimulation of the G-spot leads to female ejaculation. One of the studies using self-reported levels of arousal was a case study with a single woman who claimed the experience of a "deeper" orgasm when her G-spot was stimulated. In the published study it was reported that stimulation of the anterior vaginal wall made the area grow by fifty percent.

Another study examined eleven women in an attempt to locate the spot under laboratory conditions. Researchers attempted to find the G-spot by "palpating the entire vagina in a clockwise fashion." Using this technique the researchers reported discovering that four of the women had highly sensitive areas on the anterior vaginal wall.

A kiss is the touching of one person's lips to another place, which is used as an expression of affection or to show respect, and as a greeting or a farewell; kissing can be used to express romantic affection or sexual desire. The word comes from Old English cyssan "to kiss", in turn from coss "a kiss". It is generally considered one of the strongest ways to show affection.

Kissing is a complex behavior that requires significant muscular coordination; in fact, a total of thirty-four to thirty-six muscles working cooperatively. The most important muscle involved is the orbicularis oris muscle, which is used to pucker the lips and informally known as the kissing muscle. The tongue can also be an extremely important part of the kiss. Lips have many nerve endings so they are sensitive to touch and bite.

Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation, especially of one's own genitals (self masturbation) and often to the point of orgasm, which is performed manually, by other types of bodily contact (except for sexual intercourse), by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is the most common form of autoeroticism, and the two words are often used as synonyms, although masturbation with a partner (mutual masturbation) is also common.

The physical benefits of masturbation and having an orgasm or ejaculating creates heightened arousal while epinephrine courses through the body, producing the flushed face, shallow breath and post-climactic euphoria. It is held in many mental health circles that masturbation can relieve depression, stress and lead to a higher sense of self-worth (Hurlbert & Whittaker, 1991). Masturbation can also be particularly useful in relationships where one partner wants more sex than the other - in which case masturbation provides a balancing effect and thus a more harmonious relationship.

The act of losing one's virginity, that is, of a first sexual experience, is commonly considered within Western culture to be an important life event and a rite of passage. It is highlighted by many mainstream Western movies (particularly films aimed at a teenaged audience). The loss of virginity can be viewed as a milestone to be proud of or as a failure to be ashamed of, depending on cultural perceptions. Historically, these perceptions were heavily influenced by perceived gender roles, such that for a male the association was more often with pride and for a female the association was more often with shame.

Some historians and anthropologists note that many societies that place a high value on virginity before marriage, such as the United States before the sexual revolution, actually have a large amount of premarital sexual activity that does not involve vaginal penetration: for example, oral sex, anal sex and mutual masturbation. This is considered by some people "technical" virginity, as vaginal intercourse has not occurred but the participants are sexually active.

There are anthropological reasons for the view that vaginal penetration, especially on the part of the woman, is especially indicative of a change in status, a threshold irrevocably crossed, the most incontrovertible "loss of virginity". And that is because a woman who has been vaginally penetrated is one who may have potentially conceived. From an evolutionary standpoint, men would prefer "virgin" mates under this definition to be sure that the woman was not carrying another man's child which the new husband would be tricked into caring for as his own.

Traditionally, intercourse has been viewed as the natural endpoint of all sexual contact between a man and a woman, and is commonly confined to this definition today. The meaning of the term, however, has been broadened in recent years, and now labels at least three different sex acts. These three types of intercourse are: vaginal intercourse, involving vaginal penetration by the penis; oral intercourse, involving oral caress of the sex organs (male or female); and anal intercourse, involving insertion of the male's penis into his partner's anus.

Sex acts that involve the use of fingers or hands or mutual masturbation are more often referred to as outercourse (with oral sex at times listed as an aspect), while the term sex, in the context of sexual intimacy, is often understood more widely to include any mutual genital stimulation.

Generally speaking, human sexuality is how people experience and express themselves as sexual beings. The study of human sexuality encompasses an array of social activities and an abundance of behaviors, actions, and societal topics. Biologically, sexuality can encompass sexual intercourse and sexual contact in all its forms, as well as medical concerns about the physiological or even psychological aspects of sexual behaviour. Sociologically, it can cover the cultural, political, and legal aspects; and philosophically, it can span the moral, ethical, theological, spiritual or religious aspects.

Sexual behavior can be a disease vector. Safe sex is a relevant harm reduction philosophy. Monogamy is also espoused, however, practicing safe sex with many committed partners, referred to as serial monogamy or polygamy, is not as safe, particularly among adolescents.

Sex as exercise can produce some health benefits.