jaw

[jaw]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR jaw ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

either of two bones, the mandible or maxilla, forming the framework of the mouth.

the part of the face covering these bones, the mouth, or the mouth parts collectively: My jaw is swollen.

jaws, anything resembling a pair of jaws or evoking the concept of grasping and holding: the jaws of a gorge; the jaws of death.

Machinery.

one of two or more parts, as of a machine, that grasp or hold something: the jaws of a vise.
any of two or more protruding parts for attaching to or meshing with similar parts.

Often jaws. Also called throat. Nautical. a forked piece at the end of a gaff, fitting halfway around the mast.

Slang.

idle talk; chatter.
impertinent talk.

verb (used without object)

Slang.

to talk; chat; gossip.
to scold or use abusive language.

verb (used with object)

Slang. to scold.

Origin of jaw

1325–75; Middle English jawe, jowe < Old French joue; origin uncertain

Related formsjaw·less, adjective

jaw

[jaw]Scot. and North England

noun

a swelling wave of water; billow.

verb (used without object)

(of liquid) to surge, splash, or dash forward, as in waves.

verb (used with object)

to pour or splash (liquid).

Origin of jaw

First recorded in 1505–15; perhaps akin to jaup

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for jaws

mouth, bone, orifice, muzzle, jowl, maxilla, mandible, orate, prate, yak, babble, jabber, prattle, chat, gossip, lecture, chatter, gab, revile

Examples from the Web for jaws

Contemporary Examples of jaws

Yet when the new regulations for the UK Audiovisual Media Services 2014 were announced, jaws dropped.
The UK’s War on Porn: ‘Proof That Men Making These Rules Do Not See Women as Equals’
Aurora Snow
December 6, 2014
One person who is blind uses the “Jaws” screenreader software.
Uber and Airbnb Leave Disabled People Behind
Elizabeth Heideman
October 4, 2014
They can grow to be up to 26 feet long and over 7,000 pounds, and one of the Jaws impersonators in this video is evidence of that.
Viral Video of the Day: Great White Shark Deathmatch
Jack Holmes
October 1, 2014
Then he leaned over to catch what Lou, his face twitching and jaws contracting, was saying to him.
The Stacks: The Day Lou Gehrig Delivered Baseball’s Gettysburg Address
Ray Robinson
July 4, 2014
When they did finally find the now infamous V. Stiviano recording, their jaws dropped.
The Fabulous Life of EJ Johnson, the Stylish Son of the Lakers Legend
Itay Hod
June 12, 2014

Historical Examples of jaws

This father would not even look at the son that had but just escaped the jaws of death!
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
Burke's broad jowls shook from the force with which he snapped his jaws together.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
Peter set his jaws and continued his meditations on shoe leather.
Her Father's Daughter
Gene Stratton-Porter
His jaws were apart, and through them the tongue protruded, draggled and limp.
White Fang
Jack London
At the instant his jaws closed on it, White Fang struck him.
White Fang
Jack London

British Dictionary definitions for jaws

jaws

pl n

the narrow opening of some confined place such as a gorge

the jaws a dangerously close positionthe jaws of death

jaw

noun

the part of the skull of a vertebrate that frames the mouth and holds the teeth. In higher vertebrates it consists of the upper jaw (maxilla) fused to the cranium and the lower jaw (mandible)Related adjectives: gnathal, gnathic

the corresponding part of an invertebrate, esp an insect

a pair or either of a pair of hinged or sliding components of a machine or tool designed to grip an object

slang

impudent talk; cheek
idle conversation; chat
moralizing talk; a lecture

verb

(intr) slang

to talk idly; chat; gossip
to lecture

Word Origin for jaw

C14: probably from Old French joue cheek; related to Italian gota cheek

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

Word Origin and History for jaws

jaw

late 14c., "the bones of the mouth," perhaps from Old French joue "cheek," from Gaulish *gauta "cheek," or perhaps a variant of Germanic words related to chew (q.v.); cf. also jowl. Replaced Old English ceace, ceafl.

jaw

1610s, "to catch in the jaws, devour," from jaw (n.). In slang from 1748, "to gossip, to speak" 1810, "to scold." Related: Jawed; jawing. Hence 19c. U.S. slang jawsmith "talkative person" (1887).

jaws in Medicine

jaw

[jô]

n.

Either of two bony structures that form the framework of the mouth and hold the teeth.

The mandible or maxilla or the part of the face covering these bones.

Related formsjaw′less adj.

jaws in Science

jaw

[jô]

Either of two bony or cartilaginous structures that in most vertebrate animals form the framework of the mouth, hold the teeth, and are used for biting and chewing food. The lower, movable part of the jaw is the mandible. The upper, fixed part is the maxilla.

Any of various structures of invertebrate animals, such as the pincers of spiders or mites, that function similarly to the jaws of vertebrates.