- [countable] either of the two bones at the bottom of the face that contain the teeth and move when you talk or eat
- the top/upper jaw
- the bottom/lower jaw
- She worked her lower jaw back and forth.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- bottom
- lower
- top
- …
- clench
- set
- tighten
- …
- drop
- hang
- hang open
- …
- bone
- muscle
- in your jaw
- on your jaw
- to the jaw
- …
- the line of your jaw
- the set of your jaw
- [singular] the lower part of the face; the lower jaw
- He has a strong square jaw.
- The punch broke my jaw.
Extra Examples- She fingered her jaw thoughtfully.
- He had two days' growth of stubble on his jaw.
- He rubbed his sore jaw.
- Her jaw was set, ready for a fight.
- His jaw jutted stubbornly forward; he would not be denied.
- She dropped her jaw in astonishment.
- She had a fold of flesh under her jaw.
- The stern set of the officer's jaw made Tony realize he was in trouble.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- bottom
- lower
- top
- …
- clench
- set
- tighten
- …
- drop
- hang
- hang open
- …
- bone
- muscle
- in your jaw
- on your jaw
- to the jaw
- …
- the line of your jaw
- the set of your jaw
- jaws[plural] the mouth and teeth of a person or an animal
- The alligator's jaws snapped shut.
Extra ExamplesTopics Animalsc1- A shark can crush a boat with its massive jaws.
- A spider sank its jaws into my ankle.
- Pythons open their jaws wide to swallow their prey whole.
- The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws.
- The dog locked its jaws on her leg and wouldn't let go.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- gaping
- open
- massive
- …
- clamp
- close
- lock
- …
- between its jaws
- jaws[plural] the parts of a tool or machine that are used to hold things tightly
- the jaws of a vice
see also open-jaw
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French joe ‘cheek, jaw’, of unknown origin.
Idioms
See jaw in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee jaw in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishsomebody’s jaw dropped/fell/sagged
- used to say that somebody suddenly looked surprised, shocked or disappointed
the jaws of death, defeat, etc.
- (literary) used to describe an unpleasant situation that almost happens
- They narrowly escaped from the jaws of death.
the jaws of a tunnel, etc.
- the narrow entrance to a tunnel, etc., especially one that looks dangerous
snatch victory from the jaws of defeat
- to win something even though it seemed up until the last moment that you would lose The idiom is often reversed for humorous effect to show that a person or team were expected to win, but then lost at the last moment, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Check pronunciation:
jaw