variants or less commonly openmouthed
1
a
: having the mouth open
… bizarre touches such as fireplaces in the form of huge, open-mouthed, monstrous faces.Deborah Howard
especially : having the mouth open in an expression of shock, surprise, etc.
The crowd stood open-mouthed with murmurs of wonder … Gutzon Borglum
It was an incredible display of batting which left cricket fans … open-mouthed with astonishment. dailymail.co.uk
… you'll find the robot working away before an audience of openmouthed viewers. Edwards Park
b
: made or done with the mouth open
an open-mouthed yawn
If any open-mouthed kissing is involved in a role, the actor must be informed of this at the audition phase.Monty Brower
c
: causing an open-mouthed expression (as of shock or surprise)
[Jennifer] Capriati stared in openmouthed wonder at the sight of so many grown-ups acting like kids.S. L. Price
2
of a container : having a wide opening : wide-mouthed
open-mouthed jars
3
: clamorous, vociferous
It is certain that the ladies of this city … are all open-mouthed against the murderers of a sovereign …Thomas Jefferson
… if all I have said seems to you but mere open-mouthed praise of these arts, I must say that it is not for nothing that what I have hitherto put before you has taken that form.William Morris
openmouthedness noun

Examples of open-mouthed in a Sentence

I stood there open-mouthed, unable to believe what I was seeing. the stunning view from the mountaintop left us open-mouthed and at a loss for words
Recent Examples on the Web Unlike Edvard Munch’s epic, open-mouthed, two-handed wail, the faces in Johnson’s art are tranquil and composed, not emotional. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 RuPaul told the girls, who reacted to the news with open-mouthed shock. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 19 Jan. 2024 For an hour, audiences watched open-mouthed as New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) took his spoiled but essentially sweet daughter, Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler), on a college tour, only to glimpse, at a gas station, an FBI informant who put several of his friends in jail. Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2024 Their son Dylan, 23, gives an open-mouthed expression while his sister Carys, 20, throws out a peace sign for the fun snap. Marisa Sullivan, Peoplemag, 28 Dec. 2023 Santa asked as my younger daughter sat open-mouthed and speechless. Monisha Rajesh, Travel + Leisure, 23 Dec. 2023 The houseguests reacted with open-mouthed shock when Smedley informed them of the exit. Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2023 For weeks, members of the Russian elite had been watching open-mouthed as Prigozhin launched volley after volley of abuse at the Russian military’s command, accusing it of incompetence, corruption and throwing away the lives of tens of thousands of Russian soldiers in Moscow’s war against Ukraine. Catherine Belton, Robyn Dixon, Anchorage Daily News, 25 June 2023 Sandler nervously asks his open-mouthed co-star. Erin Jensen, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'open-mouthed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of open-mouthed was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near open-mouthed

Cite this Entry

“Open-mouthed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/open-mouthed. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

openmouthed

adjective
1
: having the mouth wide open
2
: struck with amazement or wonder

More from Merriam-Webster on open-mouthed

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