-
1the opening in the face used for speaking, eating, etc.; the area inside the head behind this opening She opened her mouth to say something. His mouth twisted into a wry smile. Their mouths fell open (= they were surprised). Don't talk with your mouth full (= when eating). The creature was foaming at the mouth. see foot-and-mouth disease
Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
person needing food - 2a person considered only as someone who needs to be provided with food Now there would be another mouth to feed. The world will not be able to support all these extra hungry mouths.
- 3mouth (of something) the entrance or opening of something the mouth of a cave/tunnel see goalmouth of river
- 4the place where a river joins the ocean A number of industries sprang up around the mouth of the river. way of speaking
- 5a particular way of speaking He has a foul mouth on him! Watch your mouth (= stop saying things that are rude and/or offensive)! see loudmouth -mouthed
- 6NAmE//maʊðd//, NAmE//maʊθt//(in adjectives) having the type or shape of mouth mentioned a wide-mouthed old woman a narrow-mouthed cave see open-mouthed
- 7(in adjectives) having a particular way of speaking a rather crude-mouthed individual see foul-mouthed, mealy-mouthed
- 1(especially of an animal) to have a mass of small bubbles in and around its mouth, especially because it is sick or angry
- 2(informal) (of a person) to be very angry
- 1In this idiom the main stress is on mouth. to be bad at keeping secrets
- 2to talk too much, especially about your own abilities and achievements
- 1to talk with too much pride about something
- 2to talk about something that is private or secret
part of face
if you say someone is all mouth, you mean that they talk a lot about doing something, but are, in fact, not brave enough to do it
having rich parents
used to say that someone seems to be innocent, kind, etc. when they are not really
because people tell each other and not because they read about it The news spread by word of mouth.
unhappy and depressed
(of information) given by someone who is directly involved and therefore likely to be accurate
someone feels nervous or frightened about something My heart was in my mouth as she opened the envelope.
to not talk about something to someone because it is a secret or because it will upset or annoy them I've warned them to keep their mouths shut about this. Now she's upset—why couldn't you keep your mouth shut?
(of events or experiences) to make you feel disgusted or ashamed afterward
to spend all the money you earn on basic needs such as food without being able to save any money
(usually with negatives) (informal) to refuse or criticize something that is given to you for nothing I'm never one to look a gift horse in the mouth.
(of food) to be soft and very good to eat They serve steaks that just melt in your mouth.
used when a small child has just said something that seems very wise or intelligent
to say or do something that upsets, offends, or embarrasses someone I really put my foot in my mouth with Ella—I didn't know she and Tom broke up.
to support what you say by doing something practical; to show by your actions that you really mean something
to suggest that someone has said something when in fact they have not
to talk too much, in a way that is not sensible
a rude way of telling someone to be quiet or stop talking
to take away someone's job so that they are no longer able to earn enough money to live
to say what someone else was going to say
to be careful what you say in order not to offend someone or make them angry Watch your language, young man!
Check pronunciation: mouth