maw

as in mouth
literary the mouth, jaws, or throat of an animal the gaping maw of the tiger

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of maw There also would have been the practical difficulty of running the nation’s most populous state, a maw of endless crises and challenges, while at the same time pursuing the presidency. Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 1 Aug. 2025 Bushels of shrimp and what seemed like barrels of seawater and half-digested food spewed up from the maw of the shark. Donald Millus, Outdoor Life, 3 July 2025 The internet is a hungry maw that can never be fully satiated. Mackensy Lunsford, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025 On the other side of the baby-shower divide, Demi, Jessi, Mikayla, and Layla sit outside and catch shrimps in their gaping maws. Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 17 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for maw
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maw
Noun
  • These words naturally lift the corners of your mouth and create a more genuine expression.
    Christine Buzan, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Fatu was shown laid out, bleeding from the mouth, with what appeared to be teeth scattered on the floor nearby.
    Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Its distinctive adaptations — seen in its face, massive teeth, powerful jaws, and now its hands — point toward a highly specialized diet of tough plant foods, rather than a heavy dependence on tool technology.
    Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025
  • In sum, researchers found the creature's skull, arm, leg and tail bones and a leg bone pressed against its jaws.
    Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Cut away lungs, reaching up into the neck as far as possible to sever gullet and windpipe.
    Maurice H. Decker, Outdoor Life, 17 Sep. 2025
  • What excites me, after a decade and change of writing virtually the same review for every superhero film that was shoved down our gullets, is my suspicion that these movies will at least have the potential to suck in different and sometimes wildly unexpected ways.
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 11 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Maw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maw. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.

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