maw

¹

[maw]

noun

1. the mouth, throat, or gullet of an animal, especially a carnivorous mammal.

2. the crop or craw of a fowl.

3. the stomach, especially that of an animal.

4. a cavernous opening that resembles the open jaws of an animal.

   the gaping maw of hell.

5. the symbolic or theoretical center of a voracious hunger or appetite of any kind.

   the ravenous maw of Death.

maw

²

[maw]

noun

Informal.

1. mother.

maw

/ mɔː /

noun

1. the mouth, throat, crop, or stomach of an animal, esp of a voracious animal

2. informal,  the mouth or stomach of a greedy person

Word History and Origins

Origin of maw¹

before 900; Middle English mawe, Old English maga; cognate with Dutch maag, German Magen, Old Norse magi

Origin of maw²

Variant of ma

Word History and Origins

Origin of maw¹

Old English maga; related to Middle Dutch maghe, Old Norse magi

Example Sentences

After a brief pause, the SUV pulled away and the mob stormed in through the gaping maw that was once the front door.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Moments later, it emerged as a landscape denuded of all color save brown and gray and the occasional red-rimmed maw of a destroyed brick rooftop.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

There also would have been the practical difficulty of running the nation’s most populous state, a maw of endless crises and challenges, while at the same time pursuing the presidency.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

A logger for over 50 years since he was 8, he knows exactly what’s wrong with his job, but is trapped in the maw of an industry as a means of survival for his family.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Instead, Trump’s unprecedented statement — what should be treated as a national emergency — was lost in the churn of the 24/7 news media and the bottomless maw of the attention economy and distraction experience machine.

Read more on Salon