mouth

play

noun, often attributive \ ˈmau̇th \

Definition of mouth

plural mouths play \ˈmau̇t͟hz also ˈmau̇z, ˈmau̇ths; in synecdochic compounds like "blabbermouths" thsmore frequently\

1 a :the natural opening through which food passes into the body of an animal and which in vertebrates is typically bounded externally by the lips and internally by the pharynx and encloses the tongue, gums, and teeth

b :grimace

made a mouth

c :an individual requiring food

had too many mouths to feed

2 a :voice, speech

finally gave mouth to her feelings

b :mouthpiece 3a

he is the mouth … of the House in its relations with the Crown
—T. E. May

c (1) :a tendency to excessive talk

he is not all mouth … he gets results
—Time

(2) :saucy or disrespectful language :impudence

just don't take any mouth from him
—Jackson Burgess

3 :something that resembles a mouth especially in affording entrance or exit: such as

a :the place where a stream enters a larger body of water

b :the surface opening of an underground cavity (see cavity 1)

the mouth of a well

the mouth of a volcano

c :the opening of a container

the mouth of a bottle

d :an opening in the side of an organ flue pipe

—

mouthlike

play \ˈmau̇th-ˌlīk\ adjective

— down in the mouth

:dejected, sulky

See mouth defined for English-language learners

See mouth defined for kids

Examples of mouth in a Sentence

He kissed her on the mouth.
He threatened to punch me in the mouth.
She stood there with her mouth agape.
I burned the roof of my mouth.
They told him to keep his mouth closed when chewing and not to talk with his mouth full.
He wiped his mouth with a napkin after eating.
She regretted saying it as soon as the words were out of her mouth.
The smell of the food made my mouth water.
The candy melts in your mouth.
The medication is taken by mouth.

Recent Examples of mouth from the Web

Word-of-mouth recommendations from satisfied customers matter, too.

— The Economist, "Soul tradersDemand for exorcists is soaring in France," 20 July 2017
Nyarko then slid a pass across the goal mouth to Deshorn Brown, who easily tapped the ball past a sprawling Miller for a 1-0 lead.

— geoff baker, The Seattle Times, "Sounders win their biggest comeback ever," 19 July 2017
The religious ritual involves a rabbi sucking a small amount of blood out of an infant's wound with his mouth after the baby's foreskin has been removed.

— christina capatides, CBS News, "Newborn baby contracts illness and dies, likely from a visitor's kiss," 19 July 2017
For decades, Sanrio’s central export has been Hello Kitty, an emblem of infantile feminine charm who wears an oversize bow on her head and doesn’t even have a mouth.

— amanda hess, New York Times, "How Sanrio Makes Anti-Capitalism Adorable, and Profitable," 18 July 2017
And while there were certainly a lot of positive moments to focus on (meeting Eric's adorable fam, for one), one segment of the episode left a bad taste in my mouth, TBH.

— de elizabeth, Allure, "Why Dean's Hometown Date on "The Bachelorette" Was Super Problematic," 18 July 2017
The girl who put a syringe in her mouth wasn’t poked, but had to be tested for hepatitis B and C, her mother said.

— rita giordano, Philly.com, "Are discarded hypodermic needles a public health threat?," 17 July 2017
Y'all can say the superlatives, my mouth is full and that wouldn't be polite.

— AL.com, "This old-fashioned Alabama dairy bar will take you back in time," 15 July 2017
A K-9 has its mouth viciously around his arm, refusing to let go despite Cheatum already being subdued in cuffs.

— paula rogo, Essence.com, "Police Dog Continues Attacking Black Man That Was Already Subdued And Handcuffed," 14 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of mouth

Middle English, from Old English mūth; akin to Old High German mund mouth and perhaps to Latin mentum chin

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

mouth Synonyms

Synonyms

chops, gob [chiefly British], kisser [slang], mug, piehole [slang], trap [slang], yap [slang]

Related Words

countenance, face, puss [slang], visage; muzzle; jaws, mandible, maxilla; gullet, maw

Near Antonyms

grin, laugh, smile

Other Anatomy Terms

bilateral symmetry, carotid, cartilage, dorsal, entrails, prehensile, renal, solar plexus, supine, thoracic, ventral

mouth

play

verb \ ˈmau̇t͟h also ˈmau̇th \

Definition of mouth

transitive verb

1 a :speak, pronounce

b :to utter bombastically :declaim

c :to repeat without comprehension or sincerity

always mouthing platitudes

d :to form soundlessly with the lips

the librarian mouthed the word "quiet"

e :to utter indistinctly :mumble

mouthed his words

2 :to take into the mouth; especially :eat

intransitive verb

1 a :to talk pompously :rant —often used with off

b :to talk insolently or impudently —usually used with off

2 :to move the mouth especially so as to make faces

—

mouther

noun

See mouth defined for English-language learners

Examples of mouth in a Sentence

She was just mouthing the usual meaningless platitudes about the need for reform.
silently mouthing the words to a song

Recent Examples of mouth from the Web

The most precious update so far is that Hope mouthed, ‘

— max londberg, kansascity, "After horrific crash involving a pastor and his children, community raises nearly $100K," 26 Aug. 2017
Anti-discrimination training has proven effective at curbing anti-LGBT attitudes—or at least making military members think twice before mouthing off.

— philip elliott / cleveland, Time, "Why the Transgender Troop Ban May Backfire Politically," 26 July 2017
At times during the show, the actor mouthed the words to the music playing on the soundtrack.

— josh duboff, Vanities, "Jake Gyllenhaal and Julianne Moore Spent Their Tuesday Night in a Chinatown Market for Raf Simons," 12 July 2017
Knowing his audience, President Xi Jinping has stoked this tripe by mouthing all the right cliches in front of the right audiences.

— rich lowry, National Review, "No, China Isn’t Going to Lead," 11 July 2017
A bystander walked up and grabbed the other while another — Mike Weinman, an employee for the Rays — clutched her legs and pinned them to the railing while Tumpane mouthed to someone in the crowd to call 911.

— will graves, The Seattle Times, "Safe at home; MLB umpire Tumpane rescues woman on bridge," 28 June 2017
Trump just mouthed his reality show catchphrase 'You're fired' during a bill signing at the White House.

— philip rucker, Washington Post, "Trump acts out firing his VA secretary if new reforms are not implemented successfully," 23 June 2017
On Friday night, the Cavs turned anger over some comments made by Golden State's motor-mouthed forward Draymond Green into energy and their best performance this season.

— tom withers, courant.com, "Stress Test: High-wire Cavaliers Still Alive In NBA Finals," 11 June 2017
On Friday night, the Cavs turned anger over some comments made by Golden State’s motor-mouthed forward Draymond Green into energy and their best performance this season.

— tom withers, The Seattle Times, "Stress test: High-wire Cavaliers still alive in NBA Finals," 10 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of mouth

see ¹mouth

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

mouth Synonyms

Synonyms

grimace, mug

Antonyms

speak out, speak up

Related Words

pout; contort, deform, twist, warp; frown, glare, gloom, glower, lower (also lour), scowl; gape, gaze, ogle, stare; growl, snarl, sneer; simper, smirk

Near Antonyms

beam, grin, smile

MOUTH Defined for English Language Learners

mouth

play

noun

Definition of mouth for English Language Learners

: the opening through which food passes into the body : the part of the face that includes the lips and the opening behind them
: an opening in something
: the place where a river enters the ocean

mouth

play

verb

Definition of mouth for English Language Learners

: to say or repeat (something) without really meaning it or understanding it
: to form (words) with your lips without speaking

MOUTH Defined for Kids

mouth

play

noun \ ˈmau̇th \

Definition of mouth for Students

plural mouths \ˈmau̇t͟hz, ˈmau̇ths\

1 :the opening through which food passes into the body and which in humans is surrounded on the outside by the lips and contains the tongue and teeth

2 :an opening that is like a mouth

There was a butcher who worked in the mouth of a narrow alley.
—Laurence Yep, Dragonwings

3 :the place where a stream enters a larger body of water

mouth

play

verb \ ˈmau̇t͟h \

Definition of mouth for Students

mouthed; mouthing

1 :to form with the lips without speaking

The librarian mouthed “quiet.”

2 :to repeat without being sincere or without understanding

Salesmen mouthed meaningless slogans.

Medical Dictionary

mouth

play

noun \ ˈmau̇th \

medical Definition of mouth

plural mouths play \ˈmau̇t͟hz\

:the natural opening through which food passes into the animal body and which in vertebrates is typically bounded externally by the lips and internally by the pharynx and encloses the tongue, gums, and teeth