mouth

noun, often attributive \ ˈmau̇th \

|Updated on: 15 Aug 2018

Definition of mouth

plural mouths play \ˈmau̇t͟hz also ˈmau̇z, ˈmau̇ths; in synecdochic compounds like "blabbermouths" thsmore frequently\

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 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 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

play \ˈmau̇th-ˌlīk\ adjective

— down in the mouth

: dejected, sulky

See mouth defined for English-language learners

See mouth defined for kids

Examples of mouth in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of mouth from the Web

Love was a droopy spaghetti strap, a low-slung pair of pants, or a beanie hat as floppy as that piece of lettuce Gyllenhaal once watched Dunst shovel into her mouth.

— emilia petrarca, The Cut, "Celebrities Are Slipping Into Love Like a Pair of Slide Sandals," 13 July 2018
Little Deer is located near the Wristons’ former home and visitors can walk along the banks and see small and large fish in the water from carp to large-mouth bass.

— peter marteka, courant.com, "10 Miles Of Trails Open 7 Days A Week, 52 Weeks A Year. Sherman's Deer Pond Farm Makes Its Debut," 13 July 2018
Viera-Newton had heard about the lodge’s majestic views, endless list of outdoor activities, and mouth-watering food.

— monica mendal, Vogue, "Inside Harley Viera-Newton’s Dreamy Summer Trip to Blackberry Farm," 10 July 2018
Blow into the person's mouth to make the chest rise.

— cliff kapono, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Basic CPR and First aid procedures," 8 July 2018
The 2018 restaurant lineup is yet to be announced, but last year’s Chow Town featured 34 local Chicago vendors, including Kuma’s Corner, famous for pumping metal jams while customers gobble down mouth-watering burgers named after rock bands.

— Billboard, "5 Summer Music Festivals Foodies Can't Miss," 6 July 2018
The two results set up a mouth-watering semifinal between bordering nations, while also ensuring that the winner of this World Cup will emerge from UEFA, with the remaining South American nations eliminated.

— grant wahl, SI.com, "Belgium Gets it Right vs. Brazil, France Shows Mettle in Reaching World Cup Semifinals," 6 July 2018
The torture included slamming the boy onto the bedroom floor, whipping him with a belt and cord, pouring hot sauce into his mouth and forbidding him to use the bathroom, according to the documents.

— Fox News, "California boy, 10, allegedly abused for days before death," 4 July 2018
America's restaurants and bars are celebrating summer with the season's star fruit — mouth-watering watermelon.

— ashley day, USA TODAY, "July's juiciest watermelon specials," 2 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.

Origin and Etymology of mouth

Middle English, from Old English mūth; akin to Old High German mund mouth and perhaps to Latin mentum chin

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

mouth Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Near Antonyms

civility, cordiality, courtesy, diplomacy, politeness, tactfulness;

consideration, gallantry, gentility, graciousness, smoothness, suaveness, suavity;

deference, respect;

affability;

cuteness, discourtesy, disrespect, guff, impoliteness, nonsense, rudeness, tactlessness;

audaciousness, audacity, boldness, brazenness;

coarseness, crassness, crudity, vulgarity;

abruptness, bluffness, bluntness, brusqueness, crossness, curtness, gruffness, surliness;

Other Anatomy Terms

bilateral symmetry, carotid, cartilage, dorsal, entrails, prehensile, renal, solar plexus, supine, thoracic, ventral

mouth

verb \ ˈmau̇t͟h also ˈmau̇th \

Definition of mouth

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

See mouth defined for English-language learners

Examples of mouth in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of mouth from the Web

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
In the video, the fish responds to commands by moving its head forward and mouthing along as Alexa speaks.

— sophie weiner, Popular Mechanics, "Alexa Speaking Through A Singing Fish Is The Best Thing You'll See All Weekend," 5 Nov. 2016
That way, Kim would gain a new global legitimacy, merely by standing alongside the US president mouthing diplomatic phrases.

— evan horowitz, BostonGlobe.com, "Trump-Kim summit may be more warm-up act than finale," 11 June 2018

Origin and Etymology of mouth

see ¹mouth

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

mouth Synonyms

MOUTH Defined for English Language Learners

mouth

noun

Definition of mouth for English Language Learners

: 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

Definition of mouth for English Language Learners

: to say or repeat (something) without really meaning it or understanding it
: to form (words) with your lips without speaking

MOUTH Defined for Kids

mouth

noun \ ˈmau̇th \

Definition of mouth for Students

plural mouths \ˈmau̇t͟hz, ˈmau̇ths\

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 \

Definition of mouth for Students

mouthed; mouthing

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.

Medical Dictionary

mouth

noun \ ˈmau̇th \

medical Definition of mouth

plural mouths play \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