: one of the hard bony appendages that are borne on the jaws or in many of the lower vertebrates on other bones in the walls of the mouth or pharynx and serve especially for the prehension and mastication of food and as weapons of offense and defense
b
: any of various usually hard and sharp processes especially about the mouth of an invertebrate
2
: a projection resembling or suggesting the tooth of an animal in shape, arrangement, or action
a saw tooth
: such as
a
: any of the regular projections on the circumference or sometimes the face of a wheel that engage with corresponding projections on another wheel especially to transmit force : cog
b
: a small sharp-pointed marginal lobe or process on a plant
3
a
teeth plural: effective means of enforcement
drug laws with teeth
b
: something that injures, tortures, devours, or destroys
The dentist will have to pull that tooth.
You should brush your teeth every morning and night.
She clenched her teeth in anger.
He has a set of false teeth.
the teeth of a saw
The labor union showed that it has teeth.
Recent Examples on the WebSometimes the boat’s best swimmer would head to shore with a rope clamped in his teeth.—Boyce Upholt, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 June 2024 After years of cutting their teeth in corporate America, the Chen siblings — both Ivy League business school graduates — took the reins.—Clarissa Wei, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2024 Wendell, who famously brushed his teeth in the dugout between innings, naturally, wore No. 13 for the Cubs.—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 7 June 2024 Carbonic acid forms when water is carbonated, lowering its pH. Research has shown that dental erosion can occur when teeth are exposed to environments with less than a pH level of 4.0.11
Consuming acidic drinks, like some versions of seltzer water, can cause your tooth enamel to erode.—Alison Mango, Health, 1 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for tooth
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tooth.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Old English tōth; akin to Old High German zand tooth, Latin dent-, dens, Greek odont-, odous
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of tooth was
before the 12th century
: any of the hard bony appendages that are borne on the jaws and serve especially for the prehension and mastication of food see milk tooth, permanent tooth
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