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vocal cords
plural noun
: either of two pairs of folds of mucous membranes that project into the cavity of the larynx and have free edges extending dorsoventrally toward the middle line
Examples of vocal cords in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The upbeat voice ended up straining her vocal cords, the star of A Quiet Place: Day One shared.
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Cara Lynn Shultz, Peoplemag, 21 June 2024
Throughout the video, Griffin is seen during her post-op examination as the doctor uses a camera to probe her vocal cords after her June 12 operation.
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Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 19 June 2024
The vocal cords themselves looked healthy, but the surrounding tissue was acutely inflamed.
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Dessa Dessa Tanya Pérez Alec K. Redfearn, New York Times, 12 June 2024
In terms of speech, this means the neurons needed to convert the desire to say a word into the muscle activity needed to control the mouth and tongue, expel sufficient breath, and tension the vocal cords.
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John Timmer, Ars Technica, 20 May 2024
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vocal cords.' 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
1757, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near vocal cords
Cite this Entry
“Vocal cords.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vocal%20cords. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
Kids Definition
vocal cords
plural noun
: either of two pairs of elastic folds of tissue in the larynx of which the lower pair produce the voice when air exhaled from the lungs causes them to vibrate
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