cheek by jowl

Cultural  

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

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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.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cheek by jowl

The small concrete homes here sit cheek by jowl, hugging both sides of lanes sometimes so narrow that only one person can pass at a time.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

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

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

From Washington Post ● Mar. 2, 2022

More than 22,000 people have tested positive inside jails, where inmates living cheek by jowl have been encouraged to keep wearing their masks even while they sleep.

From The Guardian ● May 29, 2021

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