in the teeth of

Idioms  

1. Straight into, confronting, as in The ship was headed in the teeth of the gale . [Late 1200s]

2. In opposition to or defiance of, as in She stuck to her position in the teeth of criticism by the board members . [Late 1700s] Also see fly in the face of .

3. Facing danger or threats, as in The tribe was in the teeth of starvation . [Early 1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

in the teeth of

But standing still is no guarantee of safety either: One woman’s hem got caught in the teeth of an escalator.

From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026

There’s also a shout out to Danny Gold, the prime mover behind the Israel Defense Forces’ Iron Dome, which was developed in the teeth of opposition from the State Comptroller of Israel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026

Strontium in the teeth of horses buried in the Baltic region between 0 C.E. and about 800 C.E. was a match for the eastern Baltic, as predicted by earlier archaeologists.

From Science Magazine ● May 16, 2024

Through a combination of cost overruns and the bad luck of opening in the teeth of the Great Recession, it was also a vast money loser.

From New York Times ● May 11, 2024

Then she gathers up the tufts of white hair that are stuck in the teeth of her wooden comb.

From "Dragons in a Bag" by Zetta Elliott