mouth

1 of 2

noun

ˈmau̇th 

plural mouths ˈmau̇t͟hz 

also

ˈmau̇z  ˈmau̇ths 

 in synecdochic compounds like "blabbermouths"  is more frequent ˈmau̇ths

often attributive

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 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

mouthlike

ˈmau̇th-ˌlīk 

adjective

mouth

2 of 2

verb

ˈmau̇t͟h 

also

ˈmau̇th 

mouthed; mouthing; mouths

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

Phrases

down in the mouth

: dejected, sulky

Synonyms

Noun

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

Verb

• declaim
• discourse
• harangue
• orate
• perorate

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

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Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The buccal phase is the body’s reflexive response to the actual presence of food in the mouth (which aids in swallowing). —Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Sep. 2023

Two big paws would charge at me and wrap around my neck — usually a toy would be hanging from a wet mouth. —Blake Turck, Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2023

Studies estimate anywhere from 11% to 56% of children are mouth breathers. —Samantha Leal, Allure, 19 Sep. 2023

With each word out of the fifth-year manager’s mouth, another bottle of champagne popped in anticipation of a moment this team has longed for. —Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 17 Sep. 2023

Place a single cherry on top of the mouth of the bottle. —Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2023

In 1925, the 15-year-old best friends drowned near the mouth of Ship Creek. —David Reamer | Alaska History, Anchorage Daily News, 17 Sep. 2023

They were then taken by Emergency Medical Services to a hospital, where they were treated for a fractured nose and cuts on their nose and mouth. —Jay Valle, NBC News, 15 Sep. 2023

Reality is settling in The oral polio vaccine that has been the backbone of global efforts to eradicate the virus contain live, weakened viruses that are dripped into children’s mouths via a dropper. —Helen Branswell, STAT, 15 Sep. 2023

Verb

By trying to mouth out the words that code for each letter of the Roman alphabet, a paralyzed patient could spell out any word that popped into their head, stringing those words together to communicate in full sentences. —Marla Broadfoot, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 May 2023

To maintain the movie’s enigmatic air, Alegria’s talking animals don’t sing in a simplistic anthropomorphic manner — their lips don’t mouth words. —Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2023

Big fish, say a 2-pound female, will mouth it gently without moving. —Bill Heavey, Field & Stream, 3 May 2023

For example, during play, dogs do not deliver bites at full force, and a larger dog might roll over to allow a smaller dog to jump on or mouth it. —Julie Hecht, Scientific American, 1 May 2017

The New York stretch adds a pair of colleagues, played by Molly Webster (a radio veteran in real life known for her work with WNYC’s Radiolab) and comedian Jaboukie Young-White, who add more flavors to the mix: good humor, patience, and extra pairs of ears for Jesse to mouth off to. —K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone, 22 Nov. 2021

Worse, too many people in power in those countries don’t really care about these values either, other than to mouth the rhetoric of American democracy to secure massive amounts of money and materiel, which in turn fuels massive amounts of corruption, both political and societal. —Karl Marlantes, Time, 26 Aug. 2021

Equality is easy to mouth but hard to practice. —John D. Stoll, WSJ, 2 Oct. 2020

Anyone can mouth a phrase or paint a slogan. —Star Tribune, 13 Sep. 2020

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Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, going back to Old English mūþ, going back to Germanic *munþa- (whence also Old Frisian mūth, mund "mouth," Old Saxon mūth, Middle Dutch mont, Old High German munt, Old Icelandic munnr, Gothic munþs), going back to dialectal Indo-European *mn̥t-, whence also Welsh mant "mouth, jaw, mandible," Latin mentum "chin"

Note: This etymon is limited to Celtic, Italic, and Germanic, though a relation with Hittite mēni-, mēna- "face, cheek" has also been suggested. The form *mn̥t- has been taken as a verbal adjective of the base *men- (or *min-) seen in Latin ēminēre "to stick out, protrude," but apparently nowhere else in Indo-European (see minatory).

Verb

Middle English mouthen, derivative of mouth mouth entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing mouth

• all mouth (and no trousers/action)
• bad-mouth
• born with a silver spoon in one's mouth
• butter wouldn't melt in someone's mouth
• down in the mouth
• by word of mouth
• from the horse's mouth
• foul mouth
• foot-and-mouth disease
• foam at the mouth
• dry mouth
• heart in one's mouth
• hand-to-mouth
• hand, foot and mouth disease
• froth at the mouth
• have a big mouth
• hoof-and-mouth disease
• keep one's mouth shut
• leave a bad taste in someone's mouth
• left a bad taste in my mouth
• look a gift horse in the mouth
• melt in one's mouth
• mouth harp
• mouth hook
• mouth off
• mouth of the river
• mouth to feed
• mouth-to-mouth
• mouth organ
• mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
• mouth ulcer
• open one's mouth
• poor mouth
• put one's foot in one's mouth
• put words in/into someone's mouth
• river's mouth
• river mouth
• put one's money where one's mouth is
• run one's mouth
• shut one's mouth
• shoot one's mouth off
• shoot off at the mouth
• take the words right out of someone's mouth
• trench mouth
• watch one's mouth
• watch one's language/mouth/tongue
• word of mouth
• your heart is in your mouth

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• all mouth (and no trousers/action)
• bad-mouth
• born with a silver spoon in one's mouth
• butter wouldn't melt in someone's mouth
• down in the mouth
• by word of mouth
• from the horse's mouth
• foul mouth
• foot-and-mouth disease
• foam at the mouth
• dry mouth
• heart in one's mouth
• hand-to-mouth
• hand, foot and mouth disease
• froth at the mouth
• have a big mouth
• hoof-and-mouth disease
• keep one's mouth shut
• leave a bad taste in someone's mouth
• left a bad taste in my mouth
• look a gift horse in the mouth
• melt in one's mouth
• mouth harp
• mouth hook
• mouth off
• mouth of the river
• mouth to feed
• mouth-to-mouth
• mouth organ
• mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
• mouth ulcer
• open one's mouth
• poor mouth
• put one's foot in one's mouth
• put words in/into someone's mouth
• river's mouth
• river mouth
• put one's money where one's mouth is
• run one's mouth
• shut one's mouth
• shoot one's mouth off
• shoot off at the mouth
• take the words right out of someone's mouth
• trench mouth
• watch one's mouth
• watch one's language/mouth/tongue
• word of mouth
• your heart is in your mouth

See More

Video

When Body Parts Are Also Verbs

Head, shoulders, metaphors, and toes

Kids Definition

mouth

1 of 2 noun

ˈmau̇th 

plural mouths ˈmau̇t͟hz 

also

ˈmau̇ths 

1

: the opening through which food passes into the body of an animal and which in vertebrates is typically surrounded on the outside by the lips and encloses the tongue, gums, and teeth

2

: grimace

make a mouth

3

: an opening that is like a mouth

the mouth of a cave

the mouth of a container

4

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

mouth

2 of 2 verb

ˈmau̇t͟h 

1

a

: to speak or utter especially proudly or loudly : declaim

b

: to repeat without belief or understanding

mouth empty phrases

2

a

: to form with the lips without speaking

the librarian mouthed "quiet"

b

: mumble entry 1 sense 1

3

: to take into the mouth

mouther noun

Medical Definition

mouth

noun

ˈmau̇th 

plural mouths 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