mouth

noun, often attributive

Save Word

\ 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

Other Words from mouth Synonyms More Example Sentences Phrases Containing mouth Learn More About mouth

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 See More

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Fans have already been introduced to a host of evils from the ever-present Upside Down, including the Demogorgon, a humanoid creature with a gnashing mouth that rivals Alien's iconic monster. — Hattie Lindert, PEOPLE.com, 16 May 2022 Cold vegetables in your mouth in a liquid form is not good. — Jessica Wang, EW.com, 16 May 2022 Surveillance images released by police show a man with close-cropped, dark hair who appears to have a cigarette in his mouth. — Adam Sennott, BostonGlobe.com, 15 May 2022 Sometimes a gator will reposition its prey in its mouth. — Forrest Brown, CNN, 7 May 2022 As Russia shifts its focus to taking the Donbas region, its forces are closing in from the north, east and south like a shark’s mouth ready to devour Kramatorsk along with the nearby city of Sloviansk. — Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2022 Four seconds in through the nose, four seconds hold, four seconds out through a relaxed open mouth. — Alex Wagner, SPIN, 9 Mar. 2022 Hard water contains more minerals, especially calcium, making a healthier and drier fermentation that gives you a richer mouth feel. — Navpreet Dhillon, Sunset Magazine, 28 Feb. 2022 Nisenson used the example of teeth in a healthy mouth. — Michael Waters, Wired, 22 Feb. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Fish will be moving slowly and may mouth it, then spit it out and swim off. — John Schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, 20 Feb. 2022 Still afraid that Nurse Vivian would somehow mouth the words off key, the director told her to stay as far from the microphone as possible. — Kevin Fisher-paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 Nov. 2021 Some of them would just stand there and mouth the words, beer delivery. — David Lahuta, Travel + Leisure, 7 Oct. 2020 These days, designers who’d rather die than gain ten pounds, designers who’d rather make clothes for purse dogs than fat people, could mouth the right platitudes and make the right gestures. — Seija Rankin, EW.com, 5 May 2020 Who is speaking the truth, and on what basis, and who is merely mouthing what people want to hear? — Richard Gunderman, The Conversation, 1 May 2020 Big fish, say a 2-pound female, will mouth it gently without moving. — Bill Heavey, Field & Stream, 25 Mar. 2020 His peers are out there right now bad-mouthing the Bearcats. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, 5 Feb. 2020 For months, Trump and his allies bad-mouthed her to Zelenskiy and others in Kyiv. — Jonathan Allen, NBC News, 16 Nov. 2019 See More

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.

History and Etymology for mouth

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

Buying Guide

Our Reviews team has selected the best anti-snoring devices.

Learn More About mouth

Dictionary Entries Near mouth

moutan

mouth

mouth bet

Statistics for mouth

Last Updated

19 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“Mouth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mouth. Accessed 23 May. 2022.

Style: MLA

MLA

Chicago

APA

Merriam-Webster Check Mark Icon

More Definitions for mouth

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