as in drool
the fluid that is secreted into the mouth by certain glands
our mouths filled with saliva when we smelled the delicious dinner
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of saliva
The sport is meant to feel as if your lungs have been dunked in corrosive acid, where saliva turns to blood in your throat.
—
Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2026
The saliva circulating in your mouth contains troves of microbial information about the rest of your body and is easier to collect than blood samples.
—Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 20 Feb. 2026
In saliva samples from 628 adults, researchers at New York University Abu Dhabi found that people living with obesity host a distinct oral microbiome, one that differs not just in species, but in what those microbes are actively doing.
—New Atlas, 14 Feb. 2026
Burning Mouth On the list of surprising symptoms of menopause, the loss in estrogen results in less saliva production and a drier mouth.
—Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Flow Space, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for saliva
Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2026
The saliva circulating in your mouth contains troves of microbial information about the rest of your body and is easier to collect than blood samples.
—Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 20 Feb. 2026
In saliva samples from 628 adults, researchers at New York University Abu Dhabi found that people living with obesity host a distinct oral microbiome, one that differs not just in species, but in what those microbes are actively doing.
—New Atlas, 14 Feb. 2026
Burning Mouth On the list of surprising symptoms of menopause, the loss in estrogen results in less saliva production and a drier mouth.
—Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Flow Space, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for saliva
Recent Examples of Synonyms for saliva
Noun
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The large dormitory room smelled of babies' breath and pillow drool.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
15 Feb. 2026
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In one image—a favorite of mine—a man lies on an expanse of sand, cradling a smiling child, whose drool is pooling on the man’s shirtless chest.—
Chris Wiley,
New Yorker,
20 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Groceries and warehouse clubs like Sam’s and Costco do flawlessly what many of us struggle to do at home — roast a whole chicken to golden-brown perfection on a rotating spit so that every morsel is cooked evenly and deliciously tender.—
Gretchen McKay,
Twin Cities,
25 Feb. 2026
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Today, a few drops of spit can help detect viruses like HIV and the one that causes COVID-19, or assess genetic risks for breast cancer.—
Yuki Noguchi,
NPR,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The younger Pearl does not stalk the sideline drenched in sweat, veins bulging from his neck and spittle flying at every questionable call.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 Jan. 2026
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This surgical mask is my disguise and my means of shielding myself from covid spittle.—
Cora Frazier,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Saliva.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/saliva. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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