cheek by jowl

Cultural  

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

---

cheek by jowl Idioms  

1. 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.

---

Example Sentences

Staff and residents sat cheek by jowl chatting to each other.

From BBC • Jun. 29, 2025

Ruoff’s team has already used it to make diamond films composed of thousands of tiny crystals packed cheek by jowl.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 24, 2024

Commuters and touring passengers with cameras around their necks sometimes sat cheek by jowl, taking in the sights of flashing neon billboards, junk boats and shard-like skyscrapers rising toward Victoria Peak.

From New York Times • Apr. 19, 2022

Fans pack in cheek by jowl well before the first pitch and long after the final out.

From Washington Post • Mar. 2, 2022

I'd be in the big state hospital in the country, cheek by jowl to this private place.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath