JAW

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does jaw mean? 

• JAW (noun)
  The noun JAW has 3 senses:

1. the part of the skull of a vertebrate that frames the mouth and holds the teeth

2. the bones of the skull that frame the mouth and serve to open it; the bones that hold the teeth

3. holding device consisting of one or both of the opposing parts of a tool that close to hold an object

  Familiarity information: JAW used as a noun is uncommon.

• JAW (verb)
  The verb JAW has 4 senses:

1. talk socially without exchanging too much information

2. talk incessantly and tiresomely

3. chew (food); to bite and grind with the teeth

4. censure severely or angrily

  Familiarity information: JAW used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• JAW (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The part of the skull of a vertebrate that frames the mouth and holds the teeth

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Hypernyms ("jaw" is a kind of...):

bone; os (rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates)

Meronyms (parts of "jaw"):

alveolar arch (the part of the upper or lower jawbones in which the teeth are set)

alveolar process; alveolar ridge; gum ridge (a ridge that forms the borders of the upper and lower jaws and contains the sockets of the teeth)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "jaw"):

jawbone; jowl; lower jaw; lower jawbone; mandible; mandibula; mandibular bone; submaxilla (the jaw in vertebrates that is hinged to open the mouth)

maxilla; maxillary; upper jaw; upper jawbone (the jaw in vertebrates that is fused to the cranium)

chop (a jaw)

Holonyms ("jaw" is a part of...):

skull (the bony skeleton of the head of vertebrates)

Derivation:

jaw (chew (food); to bite and grind with the teeth)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The bones of the skull that frame the mouth and serve to open it; the bones that hold the teeth

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Hypernyms ("jaw" is a kind of...):

feature; lineament (the characteristic parts of a person's face: eyes and nose and mouth and chin)

Holonyms ("jaw" is a part of...):

face; human face (the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear)

Derivation:

jaw (chew (food); to bite and grind with the teeth)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Holding device consisting of one or both of the opposing parts of a tool that close to hold an object

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("jaw" is a kind of...):

holding device (a device for holding something)

Holonyms ("jaw" is a part of...):

chuck (a holding device consisting of adjustable jaws that center a workpiece in a lathe or center a tool in a drill)

pair of pliers; pliers; plyers (a gripping hand tool with two hinged arms and (usually) serrated jaws)

bench vise; vise (a holding device attached to a workbench; has two jaws to hold workpiece firmly in place)

spanner; wrench (a hand tool that is used to hold or twist a nut or bolt)

alligator clip; bulldog clip (a clip with a spring that closes the metal jaws)

• JAW (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they jaw    ... he / she / it jaws   
Past simple: jawed   
Past participle: jawed   
-ing form: jawing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Talk socially without exchanging too much information

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

chaffer; chat; chatter; chew the fat; chit-chat; chitchat; claver; confab; confabulate; gossip; jaw; natter; shoot the breeze; visit

Context example:

the men were sitting in the cafe and shooting the breeze

Hypernyms (to "jaw" is one way to...):

converse; discourse (carry on a conversation)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "jaw"):

jawbone; schmoose; schmooze; shmoose; shmooze (talk idly or casually and in a friendly way)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Sense 2

Meaning:

Talk incessantly and tiresomely

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

jaw; rattle on; yack; yack away; yap away

Hypernyms (to "jaw" is one way to...):

mouth; speak; talk; utter; verbalise; verbalize (express in speech)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Sense 3

Meaning:

Chew (food); to bite and grind with the teeth

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Synonyms:

chew; jaw; manducate; masticate

Context example:

The cows were masticating the grass

Hypernyms (to "jaw" is one way to...):

grate; grind (make a grating or grinding sound by rubbing together)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "jaw"):

champ; chomp (chew noisily)

champ (chafe at the bit, like horses)

gum; mumble (grind with the gums; chew without teeth and with great difficulty)

chaw (chew without swallowing)

crunch; munch (chew noisily)

gnaw (bite or chew on with the teeth)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

jaw (the part of the skull of a vertebrate that frames the mouth and holds the teeth)

jaw (the bones of the skull that frame the mouth and serve to open it; the bones that hold the teeth)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Censure severely or angrily

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

bawl out; berate; call down; call on the carpet; chew out; chew up; chide; dress down; have words; jaw; lambast; lambaste; lecture; rag; rebuke; remonstrate; reprimand; scold; take to task; trounce

Context example:

The customer dressed down the waiter for bringing cold soup

Hypernyms (to "jaw" is one way to...):

criticise; criticize; knock; pick apart (find fault with; express criticism of; point out real or perceived flaws)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "jaw"):

castigate; chasten; chastise; correct; objurgate (censure severely)

brush down; tell off (reprimand)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s PP

 Context examples 

Causes can include problems with the teeth, jaws or temporomandibular joint, mumps, cancer, or a neuromuscular disorder.

(Chewing Difficulty, NCI Thesaurus)

The part of the face below the lower lip and including the protruding part of the lower jaw.

(Chin, NCI Thesaurus)

A benign, slow growing, and painless hamartomatous tumor occurring in tooth-bearing areas of the jaws.

(Complex Odontoma, NCI Thesaurus)

A form of ACTINOMYCOSIS characterized by slow-growing inflammatory lesions of the lymph nodes that drain the mouth (lumpy jaw), reddening of the overlying skin, and intraperitoneal abscesses.

(Cervicofacial Actinomycotic Infection, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

A rare benign bone-forming neoplasm usually arising from the jaw.

(Cementoblastoma, NCI Thesaurus)

And another, I know what I’ll say—that I heered a row, jumped out of my bunk, got a jolly good crack on the jaw for my pains, and sailed in myself.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Hyperparathyroidism-jaw tumor syndrome is associated with mutations that result in truncation of this gene.

(CDC73 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

I told you of him, Dr. John Seward, the lunatic-asylum man, with the strong jaw and the good forehead.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

The spatial relation of the upper and lower teeth when the jaws are closed.

(Dental Occlusion, NCI Thesaurus)

The jaw is undershot and powerful.

(Dogue-de-Bordeaux, NCI Thesaurus)