mouth

noun, often attributive

\ ˈmau̇th

plural mouths\ ˈmau̇t͟hz

also ˈmau̇z

, ˈmau̇ths

; in synecdochic compounds like "blabbermouths" ˈmau̇ths is more frequent \

Definition of mouth

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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

2a : voice, speech finally gave mouth to her feelings

b : mouthpiece sense 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 sense 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

down in the mouth

: dejected, sulky

mouth

verb

\ ˈmau̇t͟h

also ˈmau̇th

mouthed; mouthing; mouths

Definition of mouth (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : 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

1a : 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

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Synonyms for mouth

Synonyms: Noun

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

Synonyms: Verb

grimace, mug

Examples of mouth in a Sentence

Noun

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.

Verb

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

During the 15-minute swim, salt water stung the eyes and dried the mouths of Braz and Öhrman. — Nina Strochlic, National Geographic, "How a photographer captured this bizarre salt island in the Dead Sea," 17 June 2019 Discolored spots in the mouth are usually the first symptoms to appear, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. — April Siese, CBS News, "American Academy of Pediatrics report urges travelers get MMR vaccine in wake of "record-breaking" European measles outbreak," 17 June 2019 Ashtabula ASH-tuh BEW-luh This one's almost to Pennsylvania and rests on the shores of Lake Erie, in Ashtabula County, at the mouth of the Ashtabula River. — Andrea Reeves, Cincinnati.com, "Here are some Ohio words you might be saying wrong," 16 June 2019 Here in Yakutat, Aleutian tern numbers looked good in early June 2019, when Forest Service biologist Gwen Baluss surveyed them at a barrier island at the mouth of the Situk River. — Anchorage Daily News, "Monitoring a mystery bird on Southeast Alaska ocean spits," 15 June 2019 At the crime scene, shell casings glinted near a puddle at the mouth of an alley on 68th Street between Oakley and Bell avenues. — Alice Yin, chicagotribune.com, "Simeon freshman, 15, killed in West Englewood shooting: ‘He was a baby, and they took him’," 15 June 2019 The Gulf of Oman, where the attacks took place, is near the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, through which much of the world’s oil passes. — John Walcott, Time, "Oil Tanker Attacks Put Trump's Iran Red Line to the Test," 14 June 2019 The country’s premier tournament walleye fishermen will invade Port Clinton for the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Tournament on June 20-21, taking off each morning from the mouth of the Portage River. — D'arcy Egan, cleveland.com, "If you aren’t catching walleye on Lake Erie, you aren’t trying: June 14 Fishing Report," 14 June 2019 Seconds later, Shaw saw yellow when her right foot cruised into the mouth of Italian skipper Sara Gama on a scissor kick. — Ravi Ubha, CNN, "Italy ends nearly 30-year drought at World Cup, joins England in round of 16," 14 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Their swaggering first-round performance leaves two ill-prepared boys open-mouthed like fish. — The Economist, "Debating contests teach Chinese students an argument has two sides," 15 June 2019 Imagine being in a session and bad-mouthing your friend, or boss, or teammate. — SELF, "Is It a Bad Idea to See the Same Therapist as Someone You Know?," 24 Jan. 2019 Outtakes from the first film show Watson hilariously/adorably mouthing her co-stars lines—and naturally Jimmy Kimmel forced her to watch them on air during an interview. — Mehera Bonner, Marie Claire, "These Hilarious 'Harry Potter' Outtakes Show Emma Watson Mouthing Other Characters' Lines," 7 Mar. 2017 Flanked by members of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, Mr. Trump placed his right hand over his heart, just below an American flag pin on his lapel, and mouthed the words while the Zac Brown Band sang the anthem. — Alan Blinder And Michael D. Shear, New York Times, "Trump Takes Field at College Football Championship Game," 8 Jan. 2018 But Trump’s dysfunctional White House team began mouthing off in ways guaranteed to sabotage the summit. — Trudy Rubin, Philly.com, "North Korea meeting canceled thanks to Trump team's bluster | Trudy Rubin," 24 May 2018 Then Gingrich had wasted no time in bad-mouthing the deal. — Neil Swidey, BostonGlobe.com, "How Democrats would be better off if Bill Clinton had never been president," 10 July 2018 Another memorable moment in the video comes at the 2:23 mark when Grande stops singing and begins to mouth along to Madonna's reading of Samuel L. Jackson's speech from the 1994 film Pulp Fiction. — Katherine Schaffstall, The Hollywood Reporter, "Ariana Grande Puts Feminist Spin on Religious Imagery in "God is a Woman" Music Video," 13 July 2018 Ganim accused Lamont of bad-mouthing Hartford, which Lamont said was another misrepresentation by his opponent. — Neil Vigdor, courant.com, "Rival Democrats Ned Lamont And Joe Ganim Exchange Barbs In Raucous Debate," 12 July 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.

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Dictionary Entries near mouth

Statistics for mouth

Last Updated

20 Jun 2019

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Time Traveler for mouth

The first known use of mouth was before the 12th century

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More Definitions for mouth

mouth

noun

English Language Learners Definition of mouth

(Entry 1 of 2)

: 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

English Language Learners Definition of mouth (Entry 2 of 2)

: to say or repeat (something) without really meaning it or understanding it

: to form (words) with your lips without speaking

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

mouth

noun

\ ˈmau̇th

plural mouths\ ˈmau̇t͟hz , ˈmau̇ths \

Kids Definition of mouth

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

mouthed; mouthing

Kids Definition of mouth (Entry 2 of 2)

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.

mouth

noun

\ ˈmau̇th

plural mouths\ ˈmau̇t͟hz

Medical Definition of mouth

: 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