definitions

cheek

[ cheek ]
/ tʃik /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cheek ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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RELATED WORDS

close, crowded

Nearby words

cheddar pink, cheddite, cheder, chee-chee, cheechako, cheek, cheek by jowl, cheek muscle, cheek pouch, cheek strap, cheek tooth

Idioms

    cheek by jowl, in close intimacy; side by side: a row of houses cheek by jowl.
    (with) tongue in cheek. tongue(def 37).

Origin of cheek

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

Related forms

cheek·less, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for cheek by jowl

cheek

/ (tʃiːk) /

noun

verb

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

Derived Forms

cheekless, adjective

Word Origin for cheek

Old English ceace; related to Middle Low German kāke, Dutch kaak
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for cheek by jowl

cheek

[ chēk ]

n.

The fleshy part of either side of the face below the eye and between the nose and ear.
Either of the buttocks.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Culture definitions for cheek by jowl

cheek by jowl

Situated side by side or in close contact: “The commuters were packed in the subway cheek by jowl.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Idioms and Phrases with cheek by jowl (1 of 2)

cheek by jowl

Side by side, close together, as in In that crowded subway car we stood cheek by jowl, virtually holding one another up. This term dates from the 16th century, when it replaced cheek by cheek.

Idioms and Phrases with cheek by jowl (2 of 2)

cheek

In addition to the idiom beginning with cheek

  • cheek by jowl

also see:

  • tongue in cheek
  • turn the other cheek
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.