teeth
Americannoun
noun
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the plural of tooth
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the most violent part
the teeth of the gale
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the power to produce a desired effect
that law has no teeth
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See skin
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to become engrossed in
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in direct opposition to; against
in the teeth of violent criticism he went ahead with his plan
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to threaten, esp in a defensive manner
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to the greatest possible degree
armed to the teeth
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Explanation
Your teeth are the pearly white things in your mouth that show when you smile. Don't forget to brush your teeth before bed. (You should also floss, while you're at it.) Many animals have teeth, from herbivores like cows to carnivores like wolves and lions that use their sharp teeth to tear meat (as well as for hunting and to defend themselves). Humans get two full sets of teeth in their lifetime — first baby teeth that fall out and then the adult teeth that replace them. Other animals, like sharks, regularly grow new sets to replace worn teeth.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Appeared in the May 16, 2026, print edition as 'How America Can Put Teeth in Its Blockade'.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
Teeth can hold remarkable clues about how people lived thousands of years ago.
From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2026
Fieseler's debut book "Tinderbox" won seven awards, including the Edgar Award, and his reporting has appeared in Slate, Commonweal and River Teeth, among publications.
From Salon • Oct. 4, 2025
Gatwa's casting in Born With Teeth comes after unconfirmed reports that he is set to leave Doctor Who, and that the show may be facing the axe.
From BBC • Apr. 11, 2025
Eye went on: “The conductor says the General’s children got off at Borrowdale, but one of the passengers—an exmember of the Filed Teeth gang—swears they caught the next train to Mazoe.”
From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.