mouth

1 of 2

noun

plural mouths ˈmau̇t͟hz How to pronounce mouth (audio)
also
ˈmau̇z How to pronounce mouth (audio) ˈmau̇ths How to pronounce mouth (audio)
 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 CrownT. E. May
c(1)
: a tendency to excessive talk
he is not all mouth … he gets resultsTime
(2)
: saucy or disrespectful language : impudence
just don't take any mouth from himJackson 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 adjective

mouth

2 of 2

verb

mouthed; mouthing; mouths

transitive verb

1
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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The bourbon is smooth and sweet with a noticeable viscosity and mouth weight on the palate. Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024 People can spread bacteria or virus from their mouth or nose and then shake someone’s hand or touch a surface, leaving a pathogen behind. Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 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 See all Example Sentences for mouth 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of mouth was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near mouth

Cite this Entry

“Mouth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mouth. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

mouth

1 of 2 noun
plural mouths ˈmau̇t͟hz How to pronounce mouth (audio)
also
ˈmau̇ths How to pronounce mouth (audio)
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
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"
3
: to take into the mouth
mouther noun

Medical Definition

mouth

noun
plural mouths ˈmau̇t͟hz How to pronounce mouth (audio)
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on mouth

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