oral

1 of 2

adjective

ˈȯr-əl How to pronounce oral (audio)
ˈär-
1
a
: uttered by the mouth or in words : spoken
oral traditions
b
: using speech or the lips especially in teaching the deaf
2
a
: of, given through, or involving the mouth
oral health
an oral vaccine
b
: being on or relating to the same surface as the mouth
3
a
: of, relating to, or characterized by the first stage of psychosexual development in psychoanalytic theory during which libidinal gratification is derived from intake (as of food), by sucking, and later by biting
b
: of, relating to, or characterized by personality traits of passive dependency and aggressiveness
orality noun

oral

2 of 2

noun

: an oral examination
usually used in plural

Example Sentences

Adjective She practices good oral hygiene by brushing her teeth at least twice a day. As part of her oral examination, she had to recite the names of all the presidents.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
That’s my colleague David G. Savage’s read of the oral arguments, at least. Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2023 Fox will continue its oral argument Wednesday morning, and both legal teams will then have the opportunity for rebuttal. Clare Hymes, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2023 Last month, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Gonzalez v. Google, a lawsuit that argues tech companies should be legally responsible for the harmful content that their algorithms promote. Cat Zakrzewski, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2023 Some listened to an oral argument; others watched it. Ryan Black, WSJ, 21 Mar. 2023 The Supreme Court appeared to lean towards allowing a lawsuit about the Navajo Nation’s treaty rights in the Colorado River watershed to proceed during oral arguments on Monday. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 20 Mar. 2023 But during a 90-minute oral argument in January, a majority of justices nevertheless signaled support for Perez. John Fritze, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2023 The Kentucky Supreme Court heard oral arguments Thursday from the two sides at the center of a case that seeks to bring back the controversial John B. Castleman statue to Louisville's Cherokee Triangle neighborhood. Billy Kobin, The Courier-Journal, 16 Mar. 2023 Harper is also involved in a related case at the U.S. Supreme Court, where oral arguments were held in December. Gary D. Robertson, ajc, 15 Mar. 2023
Noun
Still, the most effective therapies for female pattern hair loss include minoxidil (usually topical, but low-dose oral is increasingly used), spironolactone, and finasteride. Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 27 Feb. 2023 However, it can also be transmitted via oral-to-genital contact. Ella Lee, USA TODAY, 9 Dec. 2021 Both in Britain and the United States, cabotegravir and rilpivirine can be prescribed and used after an initial oral (tablet) lead-in period. Somayeh Malekian, ABC News, 20 Nov. 2021 The Ohio Supreme Court’s certification exam has two parts, one written and one oral. Cameron Fields, cleveland, 29 Sep. 2021 Due to its remoteness, Svan culture evolved over the centuries in isolation from the rest of Georgian lands, developing a unique oral-only language and traditions such as ritual beard cutting and blood feuds. Melissa Findley, National Geographic, 20 Nov. 2020 Astrid agrees, setting a few ground rules: no eye contact, no kissing after oral. Shannon Carlin, refinery29.com, 24 June 2020 See More

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

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin or-, os mouth; akin to Old Norse ōss mouth of a river, Sanskrit ās mouth

First Known Use

Adjective

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1876, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of oral was in 1597

Dictionary Entries Near oral

Cite this Entry

“Oral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oral. Accessed 30 Mar. 2023.

Kids Definition

oral

adjective
ˈōr-əl,
ˈȯr-,
ˈär-
1
: uttered by the mouth : spoken
2
: of, relating to, given by, or near the mouth
oral hygiene
orally
-ə-lē
adverb

Medical Definition

1
a
: of, relating to, or involving the mouth : buccal
the oral mucous membrane
b
: given or taken through or by way of the mouth
an oral vaccine
an oral suspension of a drug
c
: acting on the mouth
oral diseases
2
: emphasizing lipreading and the development of vocal expression in teaching the deaf compare manual sense 2
3
a
: of, relating to, or characterized by the first stage of psychosexual development in psychoanalytic theory during which libidinal gratification is derived from intake (as of food), by sucking, and later by biting
b
: of, relating to, or characterized by personality traits of passive dependence and aggressiveness compare anal sense 2, genital sense 3, phallic sense 2
orality noun
plural oralities
orally adverb

Geographical Definition

Oral

geographical name

variants or Uralsk
ü-ˈrälsk How to pronounce Oral (audio)
yu̇-ˈralsk
city on the Ural River in western Kazakhstan population 202,161

More from Merriam-Webster on oral

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