- a variation of mustache.
moustache
Americannoun
noun
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the unshaved growth of hair on the upper lip, and sometimes down the sides of the mouth
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a similar growth of hair or bristles (in animals) or feathers (in birds)
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a mark like a moustache
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of moustache
C16: via French from Italian mostaccio, ultimately from Doric Greek mustax upper lip
Explanation
A moustache is hair that grows between a person's nose and mouth. Some moustaches are as thin as a pencil line, while others are bushy and full. Salvador Dali was known for his long, curled moustache. If you're trying to grow a moustache, you might start by shaving all your facial hair except the strands that grow above your upper lip. When your moustache becomes luxuriant and ample, you can trim it with scissors and style it with moustache wax. The word moustache (also spelled mustache comes from the French moustache, which has a Greek root, mystax, "upper lip."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Macho Types Wanted for World-Famous Disco Group -- Must Dance and Have a Moustache," read an early ad seeking members to bolster the group's lineup, according to its website.
From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026
He now has his sights set on the World Beard and Moustache Championships this June in Germany.
From Washington Post • Feb. 2, 2023
Moustache lost, Olympic gold gained, there's no doubt still plenty to come from Peaty.
From BBC • Jul. 26, 2021
“It’s the miracle season,” said Wazzu alum Lisa Griswold, who’d just posed for a picture at the Minshew Moustache Photo Booth on the campus RV lot.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 21, 2018
I despatched Borgh�se to you, and, twelve hours later, Moustache; therefore you should have received in good time my letters and the news of the grand battle of Friedland.
From Napoleon's Letters to Josephine by Hall, Henry Foljambe
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
