cheek

American  

[cheek] / tʃik /

noun

cheeks plural

1. either side of the face below the eye and above the jaw.

2. the side wall of the mouth between the upper and lower jaws.

3. something resembling the side of the human face in form or position, as either of two parts forming corresponding sides of various objects.

   the cheeks of a vise.

4. impudence or effrontery.

   He's got a lot of cheek to say that to me!

   Synonyms:

   gall, brass, audacity, nerve

5. Slang. either of the buttocks.

6. Architecture.

   1. one side of an opening, as a reveal.

   2. either of two similar faces of a projection, as a buttress or dormer.

7. Carpentry.

   1. a piece of wood removed from the end of a timber in making a tenon.

   2. a piece of wood on either side of a mortise.

8. one side of a hammer head.

9. Horology. one of two pieces placed on both sides of the suspension spring of a pendulum to control the amplitude of oscillation or to give the arc of the pendulum a cycloidal form.

10. one of the two main vertical supports forming the frame of a hand printing press.

11. Machinery. either of the sides of a pulley or block.

12. Nautical. either of a pair of fore-and-aft members at the lower end of the head of a lower mast, used to support trestletrees which in turn support a top and often the heel of a topmast; one of the hounds of a lower mast.

13. Metallurgy. any part of a flask between the cope and the drag.

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idioms

1. (with) tongue in cheek. tongue.

2. cheek by jowl, in close intimacy; side by side.

   a row of houses cheek by jowl.

cheek British  

/ tʃiːk /

noun

1. 1. either side of the face, esp that part below the eye

   2. either side of the oral cavity; side of the mouth

2. informal impudence; effrontery

3. informal (often plural) either side of the buttocks

4. (often plural) a side of a door jamb

5. nautical one of the two fore-and-aft supports for the trestletrees on a mast of a sailing vessel, forming part of the hounds

6. one of the jaws of a vice

7. close together; intimately linked

8. to be submissive and refuse to retaliate even when provoked or treated badly

9. See tongue

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verb

1. informal (tr) to speak or behave disrespectfully to; act impudently towards

cheek More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing cheek

• tongue in cheek
• turn the other cheek

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cheekless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cheeks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cheek

before 900; Middle English cheke, Old English cē ( a ) ce; akin to Dutch kaak, Middle Low German kake

Explanation

Your cheek is the part of your face under your eye and between your ear and nose. Your cheeks might turn bright red in embarrassment when you have to speak in public. When you cry, your cheeks get wet, and when you greet your grandmother, she might give you a kiss on the cheek or even pinch your cheek. Informally, your cheeks are also your buttocks or bottom — and when you're a little rude or sassy, your attitude itself can be called cheek. It comes from the Old English word ceace, "jaw," which probably stems from ceowan, "chew."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cheek cheeks

Then he kisses kitty on the cheek and reintroduces him as Maní – the Spanish word for peanut.

From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026

His obsession with late-night television is almost endearing, like a child who bursts into tears on their birthday because someone smooshed a cupcake into their cheek.

From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026

The two County Championship matches he played for Durham in May were also his first in two years, after the start to his season was delayed by the recovery from a broken cheek.

From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026

Pecking Lee on the cheek, Mann relished the big-arena rock moment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026

Wolf licked his cold cheek, but Tall Tailless didn’t stir.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

Others lined up to pay $10 to mall staff wearing "Face Painter" vests before posing for selfies with cheeks bearing their national side's colors.

From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026

As she talks, she carefully dabs concealer under her eyes and adds some pink blush and highlighter to her cheeks.

From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026

“My cheeks were on fire and my heart was pounding,” she says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

Chen fitted me with what looked like an enormous diving mask that quickly filled with cool, hydrating mist — I felt droplets of water dripping from my eyes and down my cheeks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2026

When she released me, she squeezed my cheeks between her hands and said, “Isn’t he beautiful? Our nephew, Sisters! Anna’s son! Who could ever have known?”

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

Related Words

• lip