tongue depressor
noun
US
: a thin piece of wood that is rounded at both ends and that a doctor uses to press down on a patient's tongue when looking in the patient's throat
Examples of tongue depressor in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There's truly nothing like licking that paper lid, then shoveling that tiny tongue depressor into a child-sized serving of vanilla or chocolate ice cream.
—
Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 8 Aug. 2025
Your healthcare provider may notice the change in appearance by looking in your mouth with a tongue depressor and a small light.
—Heidi Moawad, Verywell Health, 11 Feb. 2025
Additional tools include tweezers, a tongue depressor (which also doubles as a finger splint), thermal blanket, cold pack, and tweezers.
—Katherine Alex Beaven, Travel + Leisure, 9 Mar. 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 8 Aug. 2025
Your healthcare provider may notice the change in appearance by looking in your mouth with a tongue depressor and a small light.
—Heidi Moawad, Verywell Health, 11 Feb. 2025
Additional tools include tweezers, a tongue depressor (which also doubles as a finger splint), thermal blanket, cold pack, and tweezers.
—Katherine Alex Beaven, Travel + Leisure, 9 Mar. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Tongue depressor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tongue%20depressor. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share