MOUTH

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does mouth mean? 

• MOUTH (noun)
  The noun MOUTH has 8 senses:

1. the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge

2. the externally visible part of the oral cavity on the face and the system of organs surrounding the opening

3. an opening that resembles a mouth (as of a cave or a gorge)

4. the point where a stream issues into a larger body of water

5. a person conceived as a consumer of food

6. a spokesperson (as a lawyer)

7. an impudent or insolent rejoinder

8. the opening of a jar or bottle

  Familiarity information: MOUTH used as a noun is common.

• MOUTH (verb)
  The verb MOUTH has 3 senses:

1. express in speech

2. articulate silently; form words with the lips only

3. touch with the mouth

  Familiarity information: MOUTH used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MOUTH (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

mouth; oral cavity; oral fissure; rima oris

Context example:

he stuffed his mouth with candy

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

rima (a narrow elongated opening or fissure between two symmetrical parts)

Meronyms (parts of "mouth"):

clapper; glossa; lingua; tongue (a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity)

dentition; teeth (the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal)

buccal cavity (the cavity between the jaws and the cheeks)

gingiva; gum (the tissue (covered by mucous membrane) of the jaws that surrounds the bases of the teeth)

palate; roof of the mouth (the upper surface of the mouth that separates the oral and nasal cavities)

salivary gland (any of three pairs of glands in the mouth and digestive system that secrete saliva for digestion)

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

cakehole; gob; hole; maw; trap; yap (informal terms for the mouth)

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

mouth (the externally visible part of the oral cavity on the face and the system of organs surrounding the opening)

Derivation:

mouth (express in speech)

mouth (articulate silently; form words with the lips only)

mouth (touch with the mouth)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The externally visible part of the oral cavity on the face and the system of organs surrounding the opening

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Context example:

she wiped lipstick from her mouth

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

opening; orifice; porta (an aperture or hole that opens into a bodily cavity)

Meronyms (parts of "mouth"):

mouth; oral cavity; oral fissure; rima oris (the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge)

lip (either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking)

arteria lingualis; lingual artery (an artery originating from the external carotid artery and supplying the under side of the tongue)

lingual vein; vena lingualis (a vein that receives blood from the tongue and the floor of the mouth and empties into the internal jugular or the facial vein)

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

cytostome (mouth of a protozoan)

beak; bill; neb; nib; pecker (horny projecting mouth of a bird)

beak (beaklike mouth of animals other than birds (e.g., turtles))

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

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

Derivation:

mouth (articulate silently; form words with the lips only)

mouth (touch with the mouth)

mouth (express in speech)

Sense 3

Meaning:

An opening that resembles a mouth (as of a cave or a gorge)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Context example:

they built a fire at the mouth of the cave

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

gap; opening (an open or empty space in or between things)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The point where a stream issues into a larger body of water

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Context example:

New York is at the mouth of the Hudson

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

formation; geological formation ((geology) the geological features of the earth)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A person conceived as a consumer of food

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Context example:

he has four mouths to feed

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

eater; feeder (someone who consumes food for nourishment)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A spokesperson (as a lawyer)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

mouth; mouthpiece

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

interpreter; representative; spokesperson; voice (an advocate who represents someone else's policy or purpose)

Domain usage:

colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)

Derivation:

mouth (express in speech)

Sense 7

Meaning:

An impudent or insolent rejoinder

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

back talk; backtalk; lip; mouth; sass; sassing

Context example:

don't give me any of your sass

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

comeback; counter; rejoinder; replication; retort; return; riposte (a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one))

Derivation:

mouth (express in speech)

mouth (articulate silently; form words with the lips only)

Sense 8

Meaning:

The opening of a jar or bottle

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

the jar had a wide mouth

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

opening (a vacant or unobstructed space that is man-made)

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

jar (a vessel (usually cylindrical) with a wide mouth and without handles)

bottle (a glass or plastic vessel used for storing drinks or other liquids; typically cylindrical without handles and with a narrow neck that can be plugged or capped)

• MOUTH (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Express in speech

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

mouth; speak; talk; utter; verbalise; verbalize

Context example:

This depressed patient does not verbalize

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

communicate; intercommunicate (transmit thoughts or feelings)

Verb group:

verbalise; verbalize (be verbose)

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

murmur (speak softly or indistinctly)

inflect; modulate; tone (vary the pitch of one's speech)

snivel; whine (talk in a tearful manner)

open up (talk freely and without inhibition)

jaw; rattle on; yack; yack away; yap away (talk incessantly and tiresomely)

chatter (make noise as if chattering away)

blab; blabber; chatter; clack; gabble; gibber; maunder; palaver; piffle; prate; prattle; tattle; tittle-tattle; twaddle (speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly)

generalise; generalize (speak or write in generalities)

deliver; present (deliver (a speech, oration, or idea))

drone; drone on (talk in a monotonous voice)

maunder; mumble; mussitate; mutter (talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice)

slur (utter indistinctly)

bark (speak in an unfriendly tone)

bay (utter in deep prolonged tones)

jabber; mouth off; rabbit on; rant; rave; spout (talk in a noisy, excited, or declamatory manner)

hiss; sibilate; siss; sizz (express or utter with a hiss)

cackle (talk or utter in a cackling manner)

babble (utter meaningless sounds, like a baby, or utter in an incoherent way)

chant; intone; tone (utter monotonously and repetitively and rhythmically)

gulp (utter or make a noise, as when swallowing too quickly)

sing (produce tones with the voice)

rasp (utter in a grating voice)

read (look at, interpret, and say out loud something that is written or printed)

phonate; vocalise; vocalize (utter speech sounds)

troll (speak or recite rapidly or in a rolling voice)

begin (begin to speak or say)

lip off; shoot one's mouth off (speak spontaneously and without restraint)

shout (utter in a loud voice; talk in a loud voice (usually denoting characteristic manner of speaking))

whisper (speak softly; in a low voice)

peep (speak in a hesitant and high-pitched tone of voice)

speak up (speak louder; raise one's voice)

snap; snarl (utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone)

enthuse (utter with enthusiasm)

speak in tongues (speak unintelligibly in or as if in religious ecstasy)

swallow (utter indistinctly)

verbalise; verbalize (be verbose)

whiff (utter with a puff of air)

talk about; talk of (discuss or mention)

blubber; blubber out (utter while crying)

bumble; falter; stammer; stutter (speak haltingly)

blunder; blunder out; blurt; blurt out; ejaculate (utter impulsively)

Sentence frames:

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

Also:

mouth off (talk in a noisy, excited, or declamatory manner)

Derivation:

mouth (the externally visible part of the oral cavity on the face and the system of organs surrounding the opening)

mouth (a spokesperson (as a lawyer))

mouth (an impudent or insolent rejoinder)

mouth (the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Articulate silently; form words with the lips only

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Context example:

She mouthed a swear word

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

affect; dissemble; feign; pretend; sham (make believe with the intent to deceive)

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

lip-sync; lip-synch (move the lips in synchronization (with recorded speech or song))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

mouth (the externally visible part of the oral cavity on the face and the system of organs surrounding the opening)

mouth (the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge)

mouth (an impudent or insolent rejoinder)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Touch with the mouth

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

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

touch (make physical contact with, come in contact with)

Sentence frames:

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

Derivation:

mouth (the externally visible part of the oral cavity on the face and the system of organs surrounding the opening)

mouth (the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge)

 Context examples 

“It’s my dog,” Hal replied, wiping the blood from his mouth as he came back.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

He was opening his mouth to speak, but Ruth shut him off.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Other AIDS-related cancers include Hodgkin disease and cancers of the lung, mouth, cervix, and digestive system.

(AIDS-Related Malignant Neoplasm, NCI Dictionary)

The combined organs and tissues of the respiratory tract and the upper part of the digestive tract (including the lips, mouth, tongue, nose, throat, vocal cords, and part of the esophagus and windpipe).

(Aerodigestive tract, NCI Dictionary)

Rate only increase in movement both in and out of mouth, not inability to sustain movement.

(AIMS - Tongue, NCI Thesaurus)

The part of the respiratory system between the nose or mouth and the lungs.

(Airway, NCI Thesaurus)

Movements of the mouth and airway that produce speech; the act of vocal expression.

(Articulation, NCI Thesaurus)

I began another, “Shakespeare has observed, my dear Agnes, how strange it is that a man should put an enemy into his mouth”—that reminded me of Markham, and it got no farther.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Anethole trithione is a bile secretion-stimulating drug that restores salivation and relieves the discomfort of dry mouth in chemotherapy-induced xerostomia.

(Anetholtrithion, NCI Thesaurus)

I seemed to wish to keep him to the point of his madness—a thing which I avoid with the patients as I would the mouth of hell.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)