mouthful

[mouth-fool]

noun

plural

mouthfuls 

1. the amount a mouth can hold.

2. the amount taken into the mouth at one time.

3. a small quantity.

4. Informal.,  a spoken remark of great truth, relevance, effectiveness, etc..

   You said a mouthful!

5. a long word or group of words, especially one that is hard to pronounce.

mouthful

/ ˈmaʊθˌfʊl /

noun

1. as much as is held in the mouth at one time

2. a small quantity, as of food

3. a long word or phrase that is difficult to say

4. informal,  an abusive response

5. informal,  an impressive remark (esp in the phrase say a mouthful )

Spelling Note

See -ful.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mouthful¹

1375–1425; late Middle English. See mouth, -ful

Idioms and Phrases

see say a mouthful.

Example Sentences

"If the trucks stop, a whole country will be switched off," he said, between mouthfuls of rice.

Read more on Barron's

Tess had a mouthful of dandelions, but that didn’t stop her from speaking.

Read more on Literature

Between mouthfuls of doughnut, Ms Mullan adds: "This is my favourite place in Hull. On a day like today, the sun shining, looking out at the boats, you could be anywhere."

Read more on BBC

The filling is jammy and rich, jarred fig jam brightened with chopped dates and an almost scandalous amount of orange zest, so every mouthful tastes like autumn sunlight and just a hint of mischief.

Read more on Salon

Which means the movie winds up feeling like the mouthful of cavities Jeffrey gets from living on M&Ms.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal