mouthful

[mouth-fool]

noun

plural

mouthfuls 

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.

mouthful

/ 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 )

Spelling Note

See -ful.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mouthful¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

see say a mouthful.

Example Sentences

Porsha Williams of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” appears to have gotten a mouthful from a woman on her flight back to Georgia from Las Vegas on Sunday night, her lawyer says.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

She wondered what it might be like to have a mouthful of pebbles.

Read more on Literature

In “Violent Saviors” Mr. Easterly indicts an idea he calls “the Development Right of Conquest”—quite the mouthful—which “confers the right to conquer lands on those who bring material progress to these lands.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

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

Read more on Barron's

Tess had a mouthful of dandelions, but that didn’t stop her from speaking.

Read more on Literature