mouthful

American  

[mouth-fool] / ˈmaʊθˌfʊl /

noun

mouthfuls plural

1. the amount a mouth can hold.

2. the amount taken into the mouth at one time.

3. a small quantity.

4. Informal. a spoken remark of great truth, relevance, effectiveness, etc..

   You said a mouthful!

5. a long word or group of words, especially one that is hard to pronounce.

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mouthful British  

/ ˈmaʊθˌfʊl /

noun

1. as much as is held in the mouth at one time

2. a small quantity, as of food

3. a long word or phrase that is difficult to say

4. informal an abusive response

5. informal an impressive remark (esp in the phrase say a mouthful )

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mouthful Idioms  

1. see say a mouthful.

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Spelling

See -ful.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mouthfuls
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mouthful

1375–1425; late Middle English. See mouth, -ful

Explanation

A mouthful is an amount of some substance that can fit in a person's mouth. If you eat a mouthful of chocolate cream pie, you consume a bite of it. A mischievous kid might spit a mouthful of water at her sister, while a thirsty athlete might gulp a mouthful of water after her workout. In both cases, the mouthful is as much water as can fit in their mouths. If you're not very hungry for dinner, you might just have a few mouthfuls of mashed potatoes — just a few bites, in other words. Another kind of mouthful is a long, complicated word, phrase, or sentence.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mouthful mouthfuls

Sticky, translucent strings dangle from Wesley Smith's chopsticks as the American tourist relishes his natto, the loved-and-hated Japanese fermented soybean superfood going global one slimy mouthful at a time.

From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026

Rather than focusing on preventing long-term diseases, the goal becomes maintaining muscle mass, preventing weight loss and ensuring every mouthful delivers plenty of nutrients.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 26, 2026

It also evenly distributes the fat, making every mouthful taste and feel the same.

From Slate ● Jan. 28, 2026

But today’s founders might well have a learner’s permit and a mouthful of braces.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 22, 2025

It took a time to get even a mouthful ready, once you’d taken out the two chunks.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

During a recording session, Ms. Ackmann writes, “Dolly popped a pint of Häagen-Dazs into the microwave until it softened, then scooped out mouthfuls with a potato chip.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026

"If the trucks stop, a whole country will be switched off," he said, between mouthfuls of rice.

From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2025

We went along to a pancake shop in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, to ask... in between tasty mouthfuls.

From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2024

With bottles and glasses lined up before them, judges from several countries sampled various brands, swishing gulps of water and sometimes spitting mouthfuls into canisters, as wine tasters do.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 20, 2023

To the right, the vast turquoise ocean bit at the shoreline, gobbling small mouthfuls of sand.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray