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 Learn More about mouth

Keep scrolling for more

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 One of the people punched him in the mouth and the other pointed a gun at his temple, according to the report. — Brianna Kwasnik, Arkansas Online, "Police: 20-year-old robbed at gunpoint outside Little Rock hotel," 11 Jan. 2021 They have also been associated with herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), the virus that causes cold sores on the mouth and is present in 80 percent of people over 65. — Washington Post, "Large-scale global study to investigate links between covid-19 and cognitive decline," 5 Jan. 2021 Griffin is still going through the NBA's concussion protocol after taking an elbow to the mouth during the second quarter of Tuesday's game against the Golden State Warriors. — Omari Sankofa Ii, Detroit Free Press, "Blake Griffin in concussion protocol, will miss Detroit Pistons' game vs. Boston Celtics," 1 Jan. 2021 Constantly spouting off at the mouth and contradicting himself. — Doug Lesmerises, cleveland, "Dabo Swinney is the villain that Jim Harbaugh should be: Ranking the coaches that annoy Ohio State fans the most," 30 Dec. 2020 The Clippers were without Kawhi Leonard, who suffered injuries to the mouth Friday and needed eight stitches after an accidental hit by teammate Serge Ibaka. — Analis Bailey, USA TODAY, "Mavericks crush short-handed Clippers, set halftime record with 50-point margin," 28 Dec. 2020 The Cardinals smacked the 49ers in the mouth in the opener, and that’s before San Francisco was ravaged with injuries. — Los Angeles Times, "NFL Week 16 picks: Rams defeat Seahawks; Packers edge Titans," 25 Dec. 2020 Reducing virus particles in the mouth could help fight against the pandemic, the companies said, because Covid-19 can be spread through droplets generated when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks. — Saabira Chaudhuri, WSJ, "Gargling Could Slow Covid-19 Spread, Mouthwash Makers Say," 12 Dec. 2020 The most common areas are the cheeks (Juvederm Voluma XC), the nasolabial folds and marionette lines around the mouth (Juvederm Ultra Plus XC) and the lips (Juvederm Ultra XC). — Micaela English, Town & Country, "T&C's Ultimate Injectables Guide: What To Ask For, How Much You'll Pay, and How Long Results Will Last," 10 Dec. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Some of them would just stand there and mouth the words, beer delivery. — David Lahuta, Travel + Leisure, "Let the Good Times Roll at These 'Bar Trucks' Popping Up Around the Country," 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, "Preview Jennifer Weiner's Big Summer, the newest novel from the queen of beach reads," 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, "The ‘first scientist’s’ 800-year-old tonic for what ails us: The truth," 1 May 2020 Big fish, say a 2-pound female, will mouth it gently without moving. — Bill Heavey, Field & Stream, "How to Catch a Mess of Jumbo Perch," 25 Mar. 2020 His peers are out there right now bad-mouthing the Bearcats. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc's Morning Line: If Luke Fickell's going to Michigan State, here's how we should react," 5 Feb. 2020 For months, Trump and his allies bad-mouthed her to Zelenskiy and others in Kyiv. — Jonathan Allen, NBC News, "ANALYSIS: A fate worse than firing," 16 Nov. 2019 Workers who relied on Fernald for their very livelihoods got angry with Crawford for bad-mouthing their boss. — cincinnati.com, "Death, lies and uranium: How an Ohio man’s mysterious disappearance in 1984 still haunts family, friends," 17 Mar. 2020 Now 8, with flowing brown hair, Jillian steers her electric wheelchair with her tongue and communicates by mouthing words barely above a whisper. — Daniela Porat, ProPublica, "Evenflo, Maker of the “Big Kid” Booster Seat, Put Profits Over Child Safety," 6 Feb. 2020

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.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about mouth

Dictionary Entries near mouth

Statistics for mouth

Last Updated

19 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Mouth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mouth. Accessed 24 Jan. 2021.

Keep scrolling for more

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

Keep scrolling for more