a kick in the teeth
noun phrase
informal
: something that is very shocking and disappointing
Losing that game was a real kick in the teeth.
Examples of a kick in the teeth in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As if that wasn’t enough of a kick in the teeth, Al Ula went on to lose to 10 men after extra time.
—
Phil Hay, New York Times, 25 May 2026
Just days after Hollywood patted itself on the back at last week’s Academy Awards, the movie industry got a kick in the teeth from an unlikely source — an actor who’s been dead for nearly a year.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 21 Mar. 2026
What’s more American than pulling off a victory after a kick in the teeth?
—Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 25 Feb. 2026
What’s more American than pulling off a victory after a kick in the teeth?
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026
Your reward for beating it, though, feels like a kick in the teeth.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 13 Feb. 2025
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Phil Hay, New York Times, 25 May 2026
Just days after Hollywood patted itself on the back at last week’s Academy Awards, the movie industry got a kick in the teeth from an unlikely source — an actor who’s been dead for nearly a year.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 21 Mar. 2026
What’s more American than pulling off a victory after a kick in the teeth?
—Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 25 Feb. 2026
What’s more American than pulling off a victory after a kick in the teeth?
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026
Your reward for beating it, though, feels like a kick in the teeth.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 13 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“A kick in the teeth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20kick%20in%20the%20teeth. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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