mouth
♦♦ mouth (mouths mouthing mouthed)
pronounced /m'aʊθ/for the noun, and /m'aʊð/for the verb. The form mouths is pronounced /m'aʊðz/
1 [N-COUNT] oft poss N
Your mouth is the area of your face where your lips are or the space behind your lips where your teeth and tongue are.
She clamped her hand against her mouth...
His mouth was full of peas.
● -mouthed [COMB in ADJ]
He straightened up and looked at me, open-mouthed.
2 [N-COUNT] with supp, oft adj N
You can say that someone has a particular kind of mouth to indicate that they speak in a particular kind of way or that they say particular kinds of things.
You've got such a crude mouth!
● -mouthed [COMB in ADJ]
...Simon, their smart-mouthed teenage son.
3 [N-COUNT] usu with supp, oft N of n
The mouth of a cave, hole, or bottle is its entrance or opening.
By the mouth of the tunnel he bent to retie his lace.
= entrance
● -mouthed [COMB in ADJ]
He put the flowers in a wide-mouthed blue vase.
4 [N-COUNT] usu with supp
The mouth of a river is the place where it flows into the sea.
...the town at the mouth of the River Dart.
5 [VERB] V n, V with quote
If you mouth something, you form words with your lips without making any sound.
I mouthed a goodbye and hurried in behind Momma...
`It's for you,' he mouthed.
6 [VERB] V n
If you mouth something, you say it, especially without believing it or without understanding it.
I mouthed some sympathetic platitudes...
7 [PHRASE] N inflects
If you have a number of mouths to feed, you have the responsibility of earning enough money to feed and look after that number of people.
He had to feed his family on the equivalent of four hundred pounds a month and, with five mouths to feed, he found this very hard.
8 [PHRASE] V and N inflect, with brd-neg
If you say that someone does not open their mouth, you are emphasizing that they never say anything at all.
Sometimes I hardly dare open my mouth...
9 [PHRASE] V and N inflect
If you keep your mouth shut about something, you do not talk about it, especially because it is a secret.
You wouldn't be here now if she'd kept her mouth shut.
10
to live hand to mouth: see hand
heart in your mouth: see heart
from the horse's mouth: see horse
to put your money where your mouth is: see money
shut your mouth: see shut
to be born with a silver spoon in your mouth: see spoon
word of mouth: see wordbig mouth (big mouths)
[N-COUNT]
If you say that someone is a big mouth or that they have a big mouth, you mean that they tell other people things that should have been kept secret. (INFORMAL)
Why don't you shut your big mouth?mouth or|gan (mouth organs)
[N-COUNT]
A mouth organ is the same as a harmonica. (mainly BRIT)
pronounced /m'aʊθ/for the noun, and /m'aʊð/for the verb. The form mouths is pronounced /m'aʊðz/
1 [N-COUNT] oft poss N
Your mouth is the area of your face where your lips are or the space behind your lips where your teeth and tongue are.
She clamped her hand against her mouth...
His mouth was full of peas.
● -mouthed [COMB in ADJ]
He straightened up and looked at me, open-mouthed.
2 [N-COUNT] with supp, oft adj N
You can say that someone has a particular kind of mouth to indicate that they speak in a particular kind of way or that they say particular kinds of things.
You've got such a crude mouth!
● -mouthed [COMB in ADJ]
...Simon, their smart-mouthed teenage son.
3 [N-COUNT] usu with supp, oft N of n
The mouth of a cave, hole, or bottle is its entrance or opening.
By the mouth of the tunnel he bent to retie his lace.
= entrance
● -mouthed [COMB in ADJ]
He put the flowers in a wide-mouthed blue vase.
4 [N-COUNT] usu with supp
The mouth of a river is the place where it flows into the sea.
...the town at the mouth of the River Dart.
5 [VERB] V n, V with quote
If you mouth something, you form words with your lips without making any sound.
I mouthed a goodbye and hurried in behind Momma...
`It's for you,' he mouthed.
6 [VERB] V n
If you mouth something, you say it, especially without believing it or without understanding it.
I mouthed some sympathetic platitudes...
7 [PHRASE] N inflects
If you have a number of mouths to feed, you have the responsibility of earning enough money to feed and look after that number of people.
He had to feed his family on the equivalent of four hundred pounds a month and, with five mouths to feed, he found this very hard.
8 [PHRASE] V and N inflect, with brd-neg
If you say that someone does not open their mouth, you are emphasizing that they never say anything at all.
Sometimes I hardly dare open my mouth...
9 [PHRASE] V and N inflect
If you keep your mouth shut about something, you do not talk about it, especially because it is a secret.
You wouldn't be here now if she'd kept her mouth shut.
10
to live hand to mouth: see hand
heart in your mouth: see heart
from the horse's mouth: see horse
to put your money where your mouth is: see money
shut your mouth: see shut
to be born with a silver spoon in your mouth: see spoon
word of mouth: see wordbig mouth (big mouths)
[N-COUNT]
If you say that someone is a big mouth or that they have a big mouth, you mean that they tell other people things that should have been kept secret. (INFORMAL)
Why don't you shut your big mouth?mouth or|gan (mouth organs)
[N-COUNT]
A mouth organ is the same as a harmonica. (mainly BRIT)