- [countable] either side of the face below the eyes
- chubby/rosy/pink cheeks
- He kissed her on both cheeks.
- Couples were dancing cheek to cheek.
Collocations Physical appearancePhysical appearance- A person may be described as having:
- (bright) blue/green/(dark/light) brown/hazel eyes
- deep-set/sunken/bulging/protruding eyes
- small/beady/sparkling/twinkling/(informal) shifty eyes
- piercing/penetrating/steely eyes
- bloodshot/watery/puffy eyes
- bushy/thick/dark/arched eyebrows
- long/dark/thick/curly/false eyelashes/lashes
- a flat/bulbous/pointed/sharp/snub nose
- a straight/crooked/a Roman/(formal) an aquiline nose
- full/thick/thin/pouty lips
- dry/chapped/cracked lips
- flushed/rosy/red/ruddy/pale cheeks
- soft/chubby/sunken cheeks
- white/perfect/crooked/protruding teeth
- a large/high/broad/wide/sloping forehead
- a strong/weak/pointed/double chin
- a long/full/bushy/wispy/goatee beard
- a long/thin/bushy/droopy/handlebar/pencil moustache
- pale/fair/olive/dark/tanned skin
- dry/oily/smooth/rough/leathery/wrinkled skin
- a dark/pale/light/sallow/ruddy/olive/swarthy/clear complexion
- deep/fine/little/facial wrinkles
- blonde/blond/fair/(light/dark) brown/(jet-)black/auburn/red/(British English) ginger/grey hair
- straight/curly/wavy/frizzy/spiky hair
- thick/thin/fine/bushy/thinning hair
- dyed/bleached/soft/silky/dry/greasy/shiny hair
- long/short/shoulder-length/cropped hair
- a bald/balding/shaved head
- a receding hairline
- a bald patch/spot
- a side/centre(British English) parting
- a long/short/thick/slender/(disapproving) scrawny neck
- broad/narrow/sloping/rounded/hunched shoulders
- a bare/broad/muscular/small/large chest
- a flat/swollen/bulging stomach
- a small/tiny/narrow/slim/slender/28-inch waist
- big/wide/narrow/slim hips
- a straight/bent/arched/broad/hairy back
- thin/slender/muscular arms
- big/large/small/manicured/calloused/gloved hands
- long/short/fat/slender/delicate/bony fingers
- long/muscular/hairy/shapely/(both informal, often disapproving) skinny/spindly legs
- muscular/chubby/(informal, disapproving) flabby thighs
- big/little/small/dainty/wide/narrow/bare feet
- a good/slim/slender figure
- be of slim/medium/average/large/athletic/stocky build
Extra ExamplesTopics Bodyb2- Colour flooded to her cheeks when she realized she was being watched.
- He felt his cheeks burning with shame.
- I kissed her on both cheeks and got on the train.
- He rested his cheek on her shoulder.
- Her cheeks were wet with tears.
- His red-rimmed eyes and sunken cheeks betrayed his lack of sleep.
- She dabbed at her cheeks with a handkerchief.
- I gave him a peck on the cheek and said goodbye.
- She gave him a sharp slap across his cheek.
- He had a healthy bloom in his cheeks.
- She laid her cheek against his.
- She proffered her cheek to kiss.
- He smiled at me and the colour rose to my cheeks.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- flushed
- hot
- warm
- …
- brush
- caress
- dab
- …
- blaze
- blush
- burn
- …
- across somebody’s/the cheek
- against somebody’s cheek
- down somebody’s cheek
- …
- bring the colour/color (back) to somebody’s cheeks
- color floods (to) your cheeks
- the colour/color rises to your cheeks
- …
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- -cheeked(in adjectives) having the type of cheeks mentioned
- chubby-cheeked/rosy-cheeked/hollow-cheeked
More Like This Compound adjectives for physical characteristicsCompound adjectives for physical characteristics - [countable] (informal) either of the buttocks
- [uncountable, singular] (British English) talk or behaviour that people think is annoying, rude or not showing enough respect synonym nerve
- What a cheek!
- He had the cheek to ask his ex-girlfriend to babysit for them.
- I think they've got a cheek making you pay to park the car.
Extra Examples- Of all the damned cheek! Make your own coffee!
- What struck him most was the colossal cheek of it all.
- It's an awful cheek, the way he keeps asking you to lend him money.
- She asked you for money? Of all the cheek!
- He's got a cheek, making you wait outside his office.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- awful
- barefaced
- colossal
- …
- have
- of all the cheek!
- what a cheek!
Word OriginOld English cē(a)ce, cēoce ‘cheek, jaw’, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch kaak.
Idioms
See cheek in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionarycheek by jowl (with somebody/something)
- very close to somebody/something
- The guests, packed cheek by jowl, parted as he entered.
put roses in somebody’s cheeks
- (British English, informal) to make somebody look healthy
turn the other cheek
- to make a deliberate decision to remain calm and not to act in an aggressive way when somebody has hurt you or made you angry
with your tongue in your cheek | with tongue in cheek
- if you say something with your tongue in your cheek, you are not being serious and mean it as a joke
Check pronunciation:
cheek