mandible

noun

Save Word

man·di·ble | \ ˈman-də-bəl

Definition of mandible

1a : jaw sense 1a especially : a lower jaw consisting of a single bone or of completely fused bones

b : the lower jaw with its investing soft parts

c : either the upper or lower segment of the bill of a bird

2 : any of various invertebrate mouthparts serving to hold or bite food materials especially : either member of the anterior pair of mouth appendages of an arthropod often forming strong biting jaws

Other Words from mandible Example Sentences Learn More about mandible

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of mandible in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The bees soon cut several holes in the leaves of each plant using their mandibles and proboscises. — Jim Daley, Scientific American, "Bumblebees Bite Plants to Force Them to Flower (Seriously)," 21 May 2020 The head is a compact black bullet from which emerge long thick spikes of hair, two segmented antennae, and clamp-like mandibles. — Daisy Alioto, The New York Review of Books, "Plagues and Pandemics: Further Reading," 27 Mar. 2020 Other characteristics are difficult to tell from the fossil, but Fikáček says that one clue is what the 2012 authors believed were visible mandibles, or lower jaws, characteristic of rove beetles. — Joshua Rapp Learn, Smithsonian, "Fossil Beetle Mix-Up Could Rewrite the History of the Largest Family of Animals on Earth," 10 Sep. 2019 So far, the researchers have identified 51 mammoth mandibles and 64 skulls, the researchers said. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "Mysterious Ice Age structure made from hundreds of mammoth bones discovered in Russia," 16 Mar. 2020 The university says the 365 bones were brought back to land Thursday, including 18-foot-long mandibles and a skull weighing 6,500 pounds. — USA TODAY, "Poultry pardons, synthetic frogs, Freedom Rocks: News from around our 50 states," 26 Nov. 2019 Up to an inch and a half long, the hornet is equipped with powerful mandibles capable of shearing smaller insects to pieces. — National Geographic, "Photos from inside a tree reveal intimate lives of wild honeybees," 8 Feb. 2020 All 365 of those bones were brought back to land Thursday, including 18-foot-long mandibles and a skull weighing 6,500 pounds, according to a statement from the university. — BostonGlobe.com, "Blue whales are the largest animals that have ever lived on earth, even bigger than the largest dinosaurs, Mate said.," 24 Nov. 2019 All 365 of those bones were brought back to land Thursday, including 18-foot-long (5.5-meter-long) mandibles and a skull weighing 6,500 pounds (2,900 kilograms), according to a statement from the university. — Washington Post, "Carcass of giant blue whale brought to surface for study," 23 Nov. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mandible.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about mandible

Dictionary Entries near mandible

Statistics for mandible

Cite this Entry

“Mandible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mandible. Accessed 19 Jan. 2021.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for mandible

mandible

noun

English Language Learners Definition of mandible

: either the upper or lower part of a bird's beak

: a part of an insect's mouth that looks like a jaw and is often used for biting things

See the full definition for mandible in the English Language Learners Dictionary

mandible

noun

man·di·ble | \ ˈman-də-bəl

Kids Definition of mandible

1 : a lower jaw often with its soft parts

2 : either the upper or lower part of the bill of a bird

3 : either of a pair of mouth parts of some invertebrates (as an insect) that are usually used for biting

mandible

noun

man·di·ble | \ ˈman-də-bəl

Medical Definition of mandible

1a : jaw sense 1 especially : jaw sense 1b

b : the lower jaw with its investing soft parts

2 : any of various invertebrate mouthparts serving to hold or bite food materials especially : either member of the anterior pair of mouth appendages of an arthropod often forming strong biting jaws

Keep scrolling for more