mouth

noun, often attributive

\ˈmau̇th

plural mouths\ˈmau̇t͟hz

also ˈmau̇z, ˈmau̇ths; in synecdochic compounds like "blabbermouths" thsmore frequently

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

Other Words from mouth Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about mouth

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Synonyms & Antonyms for mouth

Synonyms: Noun

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

Synonyms: Verb

grunt, mumble, murmur, mutter

Antonyms: Verb

speak out, speak up

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

The songstress and her 10-year-old faced All That star Josh Server and his niece in a race to get six pies from one table to the other using only their mouths. — Rania Aniftos, Billboard, "Jamie Lynn Spears and Daughter Maddie Have a Pie-Filled Experience on 'Double Dare': Watch," 12 July 2018 Ortiz-Magro had apparent minor injuries to the mouth and arm as well as road rash. — Aurelie Corinthios, PEOPLE.com, "Jersey Shore's Ronnie Ortiz-Magro Jokes About His Car Fight with Jen Harley: 'Too Soon?'," 11 July 2018 Researchers have also considered whether the sharp mussels cut dogs' mouths and throats, opening lanes for pathogens. — Tim Prudente, baltimoresun.com, "Explosion of false dark mussels revives hopes for clearer waters and concern for dogs in Anne Arundel County," 11 July 2018 But their symptoms — foaming at the mouth, pinpoint pupils and hallucinations — were similar to those that had emerged with the three previous victims: the Skripals, and a detective who was exposed while responding to the crime. — Ellen Barry, New York Times, "Dawn Sturgess, British Woman Poisoned by Novichok, Dies," 8 July 2018 One alternative calls for a surge barrier at the mouth of the harbor from Sandy Hook, New Jersey, to Breezy Point in Queens. — Fox News, "Army Corps sets meetings to outline New York flood proposals," 6 July 2018 In the early 2000s, researchers discovered the legendary city Thonis-Heracleion, the ancient port city at the mouth of the Nile destroyed by an earthquake just a few miles from Alexandria. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Ptolemic-Era Black Granite Sarcophagus Discovered in Alexandria," 5 July 2018 In the surf at the mouth of the Eel River in Northern California, the Aleka accelerated quickly and caught waves with ease. — Dylan Silver, Outside Online, "The Best Stand-Up Paddleboards of 2018," 5 July 2018 Then breathing becomes laboured and people start salivating and then foaming at the mouth. — Ciara Nugent, Time, "'There Will Be Severe Pain.' What to Know About the New Novichok Nerve Agent Poisoning in the U.K.," 5 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

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 David spent his time bad-mouthing Jordan, while Jordan spent his time claiming that David was just a liar. — Melissa Locker, Time, "The Bachelorette Recap: Wayne Newton and a Two-On-One Date Make Vegas Memorable," 26 June 2018 There was name-calling at Marshall; their center [mouthed] racial epithets on the floor. — Mike Klingaman, baltimoresun.com, "Catching up with ... former Loyola Chicago and Bullets player Les Hunter," 30 Mar. 2018 While Trump can mouth the classic populist tropes about a globalist elite undermining the common people, there’s very little space in Trumpism for the masses gaining agency through political action. — Jeet Heer, The New Republic, "Faux-populism in Duluth.," 21 June 2018 Consumer advocates naturally are skeptical of the utilities' poor-mouthing. — Michael Hiltzik, latimes.com, "Big utilities are desperately trying to stick customers for the bills from California wildfires," 4 May 2018 The president stood stoic in the glow of a large spotlight near the 50-yard line, mouthing some of the words of the national anthem with his hand over his heart, after striding into the packed stadium. — Washington Post, "Trump hits familiar themes in Nashville speech: Anthem protests, his 2016 win," 8 Jan. 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

10 Oct 2018

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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