definitions

jaw

1
[ jaw ]
/ dʒɔ /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR jaw ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

verb (used without object)

Slang.
  1. to talk; chat; gossip.
  2. to scold or use abusive language.

verb (used with object)

Slang. to scold.

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RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

javelin fish, javelina, javelle water, javits, javits, jacob koppel, jaw, jaw reflex, jaw's-harp, jaw-dropping, jaw-winking syndrome, jawan

Origin of jaw

1
1325–75; Middle English jawe, jowe < Old French joue; origin uncertain

Related forms

jaw·less, adjective

Definition for jaws (2 of 2)

jaw

2
[ jaw ]
/ dʒɔ /
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

2
First recorded in 1505–15; perhaps akin to jaup
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for jaws

British Dictionary definitions for jaws (1 of 2)

jaws

/ (dʒɔːz) /

pl n

the narrow opening of some confined place such as a gorge
the jaws a dangerously close positionthe jaws of death

British Dictionary definitions for jaws (2 of 2)

jaw

/ (dʒɔː) /

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
  1. impudent talk; cheek
  2. idle conversation; chat
  3. moralizing talk; a lecture

verb

(intr) slang
  1. to talk idly; chat; gossip
  2. to lecture
See also jaws

Derived Forms

jawlike, adjective

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

Medicine definitions for jaws

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 forms

jaw′less adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for jaws

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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.