oral

1 of 2

adjective

ˈȯr-əl 

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

ȯ-ˈra-lə-tē 

ō-

noun

oral

2 of 2

noun

: an oral examination

—usually used in plural

Synonyms

Adjective

• spoken
• uttered
• vocal
• voiced

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

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

Phrases Containing oral

• oral contraceptive
• oral tradition
• oral sex
• oral history

• oral contraceptive
• oral tradition
• oral sex
• oral history

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

oral

adjective

ˈōr-əl, ˈȯr-, ˈär- 

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

ȯ-ˈral-ət-ē, ō- 

noun

plural oralities

orally adverb

Geographical Definition

Oral

geographical name

ȯ-ˈräl 

variants or Uralsk

ü-ˈrälsk 

yu̇-ˈralsk

city on the Ural River in western Kazakhstan population 202,161