mouth

noun, often attributive \ ˈmau̇th \

|Updated on: 7 Jun 2018

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

Williams used flyers, the internet and word-of-mouth to recruit potential clients, according to the release.

— mitch mitchell, star-telegram, "Fitness expert registered as health care provider. Now he's facing sentence for fraud. | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 25 May 2018
One of the side effects of her bone marrow transplant was mucositis, an intensely painful breakdown of the lining of her mouth.

— tara soumerai, STAT, "An opioid shortage? It’s real and could harm cancer patients," 21 May 2018
These furrows appeared only on the outer faces of mostly the upper teeth, at the front of the mouth.

— gemma tarlach, Discover Magazine, "Was Science Wrong About Being Right?," 18 May 2018
While the surface of his tunes on the recent Hollow Ground (Jagjaguwar) appear ripe for joyful sing-alongs, the words that fall out of his mouth in catchy, hypertuneful bunches convey a darkness at odds with the warmth of his vintage pop touch.

— peter margasak, Chicago Reader, "Chicago native Max Clarke uncoils the darkness in his cheerful melodies on the debut full-length by Cut Worms," 17 May 2018
The second showed True fast asleep with her mouth wide open, which Khloé captured with a teddy bear Snapchat filter.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Khloé Kardashian Shared More Photos of True for Her First Mother's Day," 14 May 2018
At one point, the dolphin pulls up out of the water and appears to be reaching for Roettger’s hand with its mouth.

— mark price, charlotteobserver, "Playful dolphin begged a fisherman for food. Experts say what followed is dangerous. | Charlotte Observer," 11 May 2018
Rather, the broad, bespeckled animal is a filter feeder, harvesting plankton and small fish from the water simply by swimming about with its mouth agape—much like baleen whales.

— ryan p. smith, Smithsonian, "What the Longest Known Whale Shark Migration Ever Tells Us About Conservation," 8 May 2018
Snowflake and Blizzard have learned the cue: when Wild Florida co-founder Sam Haught makes a popping noise with his mouth, the two hulking white albino alligators crawl slowly into a small pool.

— marco santana, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Wild Florida makes 'Gator Week' its own," 3 May 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

mouth Synonyms

Synonyms

back talk, backchat, cheek, impertinence, impudence, insolence, sass, sauce;

Near Antonyms

civility, cordiality, courtesy, diplomacy, politeness, tactfulness;

consideration, gallantry, gentility, graciousness, smoothness, suaveness, suavity;

deference, respect;

affability;

cuteness, discourtesy, disrespect, guff, impoliteness, nonsense, rudeness, tactlessness;

audaciousness, audacity, boldness, brazenness;

coarseness, crassness, crudity, vulgarity;

abruptness, bluffness, bluntness, brusqueness, crossness, curtness, gruffness, surliness;

Other Anatomy Terms

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

mouth

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

But realistically, the main thing that tends to crowd out positive economic news off the media agenda is Trump’s habit of mouthing-off in inappropriate ways.

— matthew yglesias, Vox, "Trump’s wildly inappropriate (and possibly corrupt) jobs report tweet, explained," 1 June 2018
Other aides frequently bad-mouthed her to the president.

— josh dawsey, courant.com, "'We're closed!': Trump directs his anger over immigration at Homeland Security secretary," 25 May 2018
Other aides frequently bad-mouthed her to the president.

— author: josh dawsey, nick miroff, Anchorage Daily News, "‘We’re closed!’: Trump directs his anger over immigration at Homeland Security secretary," 25 May 2018
Other further-flung family members of hers seem less careful, reportedly whining to the press about being excluded from the festivities and even bad-mouthing Meghan herself.

— jill filipovic, Teen Vogue, "Meghan Markle’s Royal Wedding Is Not Your Average Disney Princess Fantasy," 19 May 2018
Michelle Wolf, recently of Comedy Central and soon to have her own series on Netflix , was foul-mouthed about Mr. Trump and downright cruel about members of his administration, several of whom were in the room.

— peter funt, WSJ, "A Vicious Wolf Gives Trump the Last Laugh," 29 Apr. 2018
Or why the colonel conducting the ceremony allowed her to do so, stifling his laughter as the puppet mouthed the oath.

— the washington post, OregonLive.com, "She wore a dinosaur puppet during a military oath. It got her and a colonel removed from the job," 19 Apr. 2018
Ortega mouthed words, gestured, and pointed at an alphabet board; Hidalgo wrote down her words, sometimes showing his notes to her for confirmation.

— maureen o'connor, The Cut, "Video Shows Nanny in Murder Trial Denying Hallucinations," 12 Apr. 2018
At the end of their caucus forum, McCready mouthed something to Cano as the two shook hands.

— jim morrill, charlotteobserver, "Candidate accuses ex-Marine of 'cowardice' as NC Congressional primary gets personal | Charlotte Observer," 6 Apr. 2018

Origin and Etymology of mouth

see ¹mouth

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

mouth Synonyms

MOUTH Defined for English Language Learners

mouth

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

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

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

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

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