jawbone

American  

[jaw-bohn] / ˈdʒɔˌboʊn /

noun

1. a bone of either jaw; a maxilla or mandible.

2. the bone of the lower jaw; mandible.

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verb (used with or without object)

jawboned, jawboning

1. Informal. to attempt to influence or pressure by persuasion rather than by the exertion of force or one's authority, as in urging voluntary compliance with economic guidelines.

   The president jawboned the steel industry into postponing price increases.

adjective

1. Informal. obtained by or resorting to such a practice.

   jawbone controls.

jawbone British  

/ ˈdʒɔːˌbəʊn /

noun

1. a nontechnical name for mandible maxilla

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verb

1. to try to persuade or bring pressure to bear (on) by virtue of one's high office or position, esp in urging compliance with official policy

Other Word Forms

• jawboning noun

Etymology

Origin of jawbone

First recorded in 1480–90; jaw ¹ + bone

Example Sentences

Titanium posts will be inserted into his jawbone, serving as new roots for the teeth.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2026

It was found alongside a tooth from a Tyrannosaurus rex and a jawbone from a crocodylian, in a region already known for fossils of the duck-billed dinosaur Edmontosaurus.

From Science Daily • Dec. 15, 2025

The jawbone dates back to the monument's very beginning in 2995 to 2900 BC and was placed in a ritually significant place.

From BBC • Aug. 22, 2025

She told MPs that this included a “foetal skeleton posed under a glass dome, a human thigh bone turned into a cane, a human jawbone necklace and the varnished skull of a six-year-old”.

From BBC • Nov. 20, 2024

I set a second one on my neck, and it leaves behind a slimy trail like a streak of paint as it finds the thick vein right under my jawbone.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

Related Words

• admonish
• berate
• castigate
• censure
• chide
• go after
• oppose
• reprimand
• reproach
• scold
• upbraid