| Language: | Old English |
| Origin: | muth |
| |||||||||
mouth1 S2 W1
plural mouths
[countable]
plural mouths
[countable]1 the part of your face which you put food into, or which you use for speaking :
He lifted his glass to his mouth.
She kissed him full on the mouth (=directly on the mouth).
face
HB
He lifted his glass to his mouth.
She kissed him full on the mouth (=directly on the mouth).2
keep your mouth shut
informala) to not tell other people about a secret :
He demanded £2000 to keep his mouth shut.
He demanded £2000 to keep his mouth shut.b) to not say something even if you think it :
I wished that I'd kept my mouth shut.
I wished that I'd kept my mouth shut.3 to prepare to speak :
'I'll go,' Travis said quickly before she could open her mouth.
open your mouth
'I'll go,' Travis said quickly before she could open her mouth. open your mouth to say/speak/protest etc
Julia opened her mouth to reply, but they were interrupted.
Julia opened her mouth to reply, but they were interrupted.5 the entrance to a large hole or cave :
As the train entered the mouth of the tunnel, the lights came on.
entrance
DN
As the train entered the mouth of the tunnel, the lights came on.6 the part of a river where it joins the sea :
the mouth of the River Tees
river
DNSG
the mouth of the River Tees7 the open part at the top of a bottle or container
bottle/container
DFDH9 used to criticize yourself or another person for saying something that should not have been said :
Oops, I shouldn't have said that. Me and my big mouth.
me and my big mouth/you and your big mouth etc
spoken
Oops, I shouldn't have said that. Me and my big mouth.10 someone who you must provide food for, especially one of your children :
To these parents, a new baby is just another hungry mouth.
mouth to feed/hungry mouth
To these parents, a new baby is just another hungry mouth.11 if food makes your mouth water, it smells or looks so good you want to eat it immediately :
The smell of the cooked fish made her mouth water. ➔ mouth-watering
make your mouth water
The smell of the cooked fish made her mouth water.13 used humorously when a small child has just said something clever or interesting
out of the mouths of babes (and sucklings)
14 if someone is all mouth, they talk a lot about what they will do but are not brave enough to actually do it

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