jawbone

1 of 2

noun

jaw·​bone ˈjȯ-ˌbōn 

variants or less commonly jaw bone

plural jawbones also jaw bones

: jaw sense 1a

especially : mandible

jawbone

2 of 2

verb

jawboned; jawboning; jawbones

transitive verb

: to speak forcefully and persuasively to

jawboned them into accepting the deal

intransitive verb

: to talk especially forcefully and persuasively

jawboning about the tax cuts

Examples of jawbone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Tests revealed Jodie had a fibrosarcoma – a malignant tumor – in her jaw, which was removed with surgery but later returned and began to invade her jawbone. — Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

As the Danube waters shrank in Bulgaria, researchers were thrilled to find and recover a jawbone, tusks, a shoulder blade, ribs and other bone fragments belonging to an extinct woolly mammoth buried deep in the sand. — CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026

Verb

The sharp gains were fueled by a combination of direct purchases of the yen, calls by officials to banks that trade the currency and jawboning from US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama. — Shintaro Inkyo, Fortune, 1 Aug. 2026

The conference circuit’s jawboning strategy — that crypto price will obey the pulpit — appears to have stopped applying. — Isabelle Lee, Bloomberg, 30 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1965, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for jawbone

• alone
• atone
• backbone
• bemoan
• bluestone
• breastbone
• brownstone
• capstone
• cheekbone
• condone
• curbstone
• cyclone

Kids Definition

jawbone

noun

jaw·​bone

ˈjȯ-ˈbōn, 

-ˌbōn

: one of the bones of an animal's jaw

especially : mandible sense 1a

Medical Definition

jawbone

noun

jaw·​bone ˈjȯ-ˈbōn, -ˌbōn 

: jaw sense 1

especially : mandible