Library / English Dictionary

MOUTH

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The opening of a jar or bottle

Example:

the jar had a wide mouth

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

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

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

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

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)

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

Sense 2

Meaning:

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

Example:

she wiped lipstick from her mouth

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

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

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

Meronyms (parts of "mouth"):

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)

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

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

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

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 (express in speech)

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

mouth (touch with the mouth)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge

Example:

he stuffed his mouth with candy

Synonyms:

mouth; oral cavity; oral fissure; rima oris

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

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

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

Meronyms (parts of "mouth"):

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

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

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

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

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)

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 4

Meaning:

An impudent or insolent rejoinder

Example:

don't give me any of your sass

Synonyms:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

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 5

Meaning:

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

Example:

New York is at the mouth of the Hudson

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

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

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

Sense 6

Meaning:

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

Example:

they built a fire at the mouth of the cave

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

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

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

Sense 7

Meaning:

A person conceived as a consumer of food

Example:

he has four mouths to feed

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

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

eater; feeder (someone who consumes food for nourishment)

Sense 8

Meaning:

A spokesperson (as a lawyer)

Synonyms:

mouth; mouthpiece

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

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)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Express in speech

Example:

This depressed patient does not verbalize

Synonyms:

mouth; speak; talk; utter; verbalise; verbalize

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

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"):

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

murmur (speak softly or indistinctly)

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))

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

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)

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)

drone; drone on (talk in a monotonous voice)

bumble; falter; stammer; stutter (speak haltingly)

rasp (utter in a grating voice)

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 (a spokesperson (as a lawyer))

mouth (an impudent or insolent rejoinder)

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

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

Sense 2

Meaning:

Articulate silently; form words with the lips only

Example:

She mouthed a swear word

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

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)

Credits

 Context examples: 

It is characterized by the formation of purulent and painful abscesses in the mouth, lungs and gastrointestinal tract.

(Actinomycosis, NCI Thesaurus)

Their gut, mouth, and skin bacterial communities during the first 30 days of life were enriched in vaginal bacteria.

(Restoring microbes in infants born by cesarean section, NIH)

They also were more likely to look at the subject’s eyes or mouth at the same moments.

(Children’s visual engagement is heritable and altered in autism, National Institutes of Health)

Th17 cells normally live in so-called barrier sites—such as the mouth, skin, and digestive tract—where germs make first contact with the body.

(Researchers identify immune culprits linked to inflammation and bone loss in gum disease, National Institutes of Health)

“And there! D’ye hear that? Blown by mouth. Some scow schooner, most likely. Better watch out, Mr. Schooner-man. Ah, I thought so. Now hell’s a poppin’ for somebody!”

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

The occurrence of Delftia in the queen’s mouth and gut rose or fell opposite to the levels of bacteria considered beneficial.

(Species Shifts in the Honey Bee Microbiome Differ with Age and Hive Role, U.S. Department of Agriculture)

To evaluate possible long-term effects of vaping, the team assessed DNA damage in the cells of the volunteers' mouths.

(Using Electronic Cigarettes Can Damage DNA, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

A form of Actinex that is taken by mouth is being studied in the treatment of prostate cancer.

(Actinex, NCI Dictionary)

This difficulty in swallowing is due to the fact that the process of passing food or liquids from the mouth to the stomach requires more time and effort for these patients.

(Scientists designed the first test to detect dysphagia, University of Granada)

Bacteria that build up in your mouth and between your teeth produce the bad odor.

(Bad Breath, NIH)