: one of the hard bony appendages that are borne on the jaws or in many of the lower vertebrates on other bones in the walls of the mouth or pharynx and serve especially for the prehension and mastication of food and as weapons of offense and defense
b
: any of various usually hard and sharp processes especially about the mouth of an invertebrate
2
: a projection resembling or suggesting the tooth of an animal in shape, arrangement, or action
a saw tooth
: such as
a
: any of the regular projections on the circumference or sometimes the face of a wheel that engage with corresponding projections on another wheel especially to transmit force : cog
b
: a small sharp-pointed marginal lobe or process on a plant
3
a
teeth plural: effective means of enforcement
drug laws with teeth
b
: something that injures, tortures, devours, or destroys
The dentist will have to pull that tooth.
You should brush your teeth every morning and night.
She clenched her teeth in anger.
He has a set of false teeth.
the teeth of a saw
The labor union showed that it has teeth.
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Many of Spain’s leading screenwriters who have proved hugely successful in a platform age – Alex Pina, Ramon Campos, for example – cut their teeth penning shows for free-to-air networks.—John Hopewell, Variety, 2 May 2025 In the snap, Prince William and Princess Kate’s youngest child smiles to show off his two missing front teeth.—Greta Bjornson, People.com, 2 May 2025 These ingredients can irritate the digestive tract, the bladder, or the teeth for people who are sensitive to them.—Stacey Colino, Time, 1 May 2025 Fluoride can stop early tooth decay by putting minerals back into enamel.—Katherine Dillinger, CNN Money, 30 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tooth
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Old English tōth; akin to Old High German zand tooth, Latin dent-, dens, Greek odont-, odous
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of tooth was
before the 12th century
: any of the hard bony appendages that are borne on the jaws and serve especially for the prehension and mastication of food see milk tooth, permanent tooth
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