mouth

1 of 2

noun

ˈmau̇th 

plural mouths ˈmau̇t͟hz 

also

ˈmau̇z  ˈmau̇ths 

 in synecdochic compounds like "blabbermouths"  is more frequent ˈmau̇ths

often attributive

1

a

: the natural opening through which food passes into the body of an animal and which in vertebrates is typically bounded externally by the lips and internally by the pharynx and encloses the tongue, gums, and teeth

b

: grimace

made a mouth

c

: an individual requiring food

had too many mouths to feed

2

a

: voice, speech

finally gave mouth to her feelings

b

: mouthpiece sense 3a

he is the mouth … of the House in its relations with the Crown

—T. E. May

c(1)

: a tendency to excessive talk

he is not all mouth … he gets results

—Time

(2)

: saucy or disrespectful language : impudence

just don't take any mouth from him

—Jackson Burgess

3

: something that resembles a mouth especially in affording entrance or exit: such as

a

: the place where a stream enters a larger body of water

b

: the surface opening of an underground cavity (see cavity sense 1)

the mouth of a well

the mouth of a volcano

c

: the opening of a container

the mouth of a bottle

d

: an opening in the side of an organ flue pipe

mouthlike

ˈmau̇th-ˌlīk 

adjective

mouth

2 of 2

verb

ˈmau̇t͟h 

also

ˈmau̇th 

mouthed; mouthing; mouths

transitive verb

1

a

: speak, pronounce

b

: to utter bombastically : declaim

c

: to repeat without comprehension or sincerity

always mouthing platitudes

d

: to form soundlessly with the lips

the librarian mouthed the word "quiet"

e

: to utter indistinctly : mumble

mouthed his words

2

: to take into the mouth

especially : eat

intransitive verb

1

a

: to talk pompously : rant

—often used with off

b

: to talk insolently or impudently

—usually used with off

2

: to move the mouth especially so as to make faces

mouther noun

Phrases

down in the mouth

: dejected, sulky

Synonyms

Noun

• chops
• gob [chiefly British]
• kisser [slang]
• mug
• piehole [slang]
• trap [slang]
• yap [slang]

Verb

• declaim
• discourse
• harangue
• orate
• perorate

Examples of mouth in a Sentence

Noun

He kissed her on the mouth.

He threatened to punch me in the mouth.

She stood there with her mouth agape.

I burned the roof of my mouth.

They told him to keep his mouth closed when chewing and not to talk with his mouth full.

He wiped his mouth with a napkin after eating.

She regretted saying it as soon as the words were out of her mouth.

The smell of the food made my mouth water.

The candy melts in your mouth.

The medication is taken by mouth.

Verb

She was just mouthing the usual meaningless platitudes about the need for reform.

silently mouthing the words to a song

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Until recently, this (and chewing with your mouth open) would have been the easy picks for the most annoying behaviors my kids do. —Caleb Harris, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024

This is because of its ‘scrubbing bubbles’ and high acidity, which cleanse your mouth between bites of food. —Liz Thach, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024

Verb

Fike doesn’t mouth along to the songs, make distinct markers of when one ends and another begins, or even mention the titles of any of them. —Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 24 Apr. 2024

Also present was Dmitri Shostakovich, who had come to New York at Stalin’s behest, in order to mouth propaganda at the Cultural and Scientific Conference for World Peace. —Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, going back to Old English mūþ, going back to Germanic *munþa- (whence also Old Frisian mūth, mund "mouth," Old Saxon mūth, Middle Dutch mont, Old High German munt, Old Icelandic munnr, Gothic munþs), going back to dialectal Indo-European *mn̥t-, whence also Welsh mant "mouth, jaw, mandible," Latin mentum "chin"

Note: This etymon is limited to Celtic, Italic, and Germanic, though a relation with Hittite mēni-, mēna- "face, cheek" has also been suggested. The form *mn̥t- has been taken as a verbal adjective of the base *men- (or *min-) seen in Latin ēminēre "to stick out, protrude," but apparently nowhere else in Indo-European (see minatory).

Verb

Middle English mouthen, derivative of mouth mouth entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing mouth

• all mouth (and no trousers/action)
• bad-mouth
• born with a silver spoon in one's mouth
• butter wouldn't melt in someone's mouth
• by word of mouth
• dry mouth
• foam at the mouth
• foot-and-mouth disease
• foul mouth
• from the horse's mouth
• froth at the mouth
• hand, foot and mouth disease
• hand-to-mouth
• have a big mouth
• heart in one's mouth
• hoof-and-mouth disease
• keep one's mouth shut
• leave a bad taste in someone's mouth
• left a bad taste in my mouth
• look a gift horse in the mouth
• melt in one's mouth
• mouth harp
• mouth hook
• mouth off
• mouth of the river
• mouth organ
• mouth to feed
• mouth-to-mouth
• mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
• mouth ulcer
• open one's mouth
• poor mouth
• put one's foot in one's mouth
• put one's money where one's mouth is
• put words in/into someone's mouth
• river mouth
• river's mouth
• run one's mouth
• shoot off at the mouth
• shoot one's mouth off
• shut one's mouth
• take the words right out of someone's mouth
• trench mouth
• watch one's language/mouth/tongue
• watch one's mouth
• word of mouth
• your heart is in your mouth

Video

When Body Parts Are Also Verbs

Head, shoulders, metaphors, and toes

Kids Definition

mouth

1 of 2 noun

ˈmau̇th 

plural mouths ˈmau̇t͟hz 

also

ˈmau̇ths 

1

: the opening through which food passes into the body of an animal and which in vertebrates is typically surrounded on the outside by the lips and encloses the tongue, gums, and teeth

2

: grimace

make a mouth

3

: an opening that is like a mouth

the mouth of a cave

the mouth of a container

4

: the place where a stream enters a larger body of water

mouth

2 of 2 verb

ˈmau̇t͟h 

1

a

: to speak or utter especially proudly or loudly : declaim

b

: to repeat without belief or understanding

mouth empty phrases

2

a

: to form with the lips without speaking

the librarian mouthed "quiet"

b

: mumble entry 1 sense 1

3

: to take into the mouth

mouther noun

Medical Definition

mouth

noun

ˈmau̇th 

plural mouths ˈmau̇t͟hz 

: the natural opening through which food passes into the animal body and which in vertebrates is typically bounded externally by the lips and internally by the pharynx and encloses the tongue, gums, and teeth