mustache

American  

[muhs-tash, muh-stash] / ˈmʌs tæʃ, məˈstæʃ /

Or moustache

noun

1. the hair growing on the upper lip

2. such hair on men, allowed to grow without shaving, and often trimmed in any of various shapes.

3. hairs or bristles growing near the mouth of an animal.

4. a stripe of color, or elongated feathers, suggestive of a mustache on the side of the head of a bird.

5. something resembling a mustache, as food or drink adhering to the upper lip.

   a mustache of milk.

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mustache British  

/ məˈstɑːʃ /

noun

1. the US spelling of moustache

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Other Word Forms

• mustached adjective

Etymology

Origin of mustache

1575–85; < Middle French moustache < Italian mostaccio; mustachio

Explanation

A mustache is hair that grows between a person's nose and mouth. Some mustaches are as thin as a pencil line, while others are bushy and full. Salvador Dali was known for his long, curled mustache. If you're trying to grow a mustache, you might start by shaving all your facial hair except the strands that grow above your upper lip. When your mustache becomes luxuriant and ample, you can trim it with scissors and style it with mustache wax. The word mustache comes from the French moustache, which has a Greek root, mystax, "upper lip."

Example Sentences

The once-famous dark mane has gone white and is neatly cropped and the bushy mustache is now just a brush of hair below his nose.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

On the US State Department's reward card, he appears with a sharp face, neatly combed hair and a thin mustache.

From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026

His walrus mustache, once the world’s most famous facial hair, is white as winter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

I half expected a Snidely Whiplash twirl of the mustache or a Bertram Oleander sidewise glance and sneer.

From Salon • Jan. 16, 2026

Masterji Thakur's mustache quirked, and his eyes held a spark that gave her the courage to say it.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton