mouthful

[ mouth-fool ]

noun

, plural mouth·fuls.

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

I ate mouthful after mouthful, maybe filling back in the parts of me that had been carefully excised days before.

From Time

They roam through tree-shaded meadows, tearing up mouthfuls of clover while nursing their calves in tranquility.

From Time

With that in mind, some of the best dental chews for dogs are made with a mouthful of chemical compounds and vitamins designed to offer healthy benefits.

From Popular-Science

A mouthful of ingredients goes into making Greenies dental treats, which have been manufactured in Kansas City since 1996.

From Popular-Science

Between mouthfuls of sandwich, he swore we’d end up packing everything growing out back anyway—there wasn’t really a point to tending them now.

From Time

He took a final mouthful of orange soda and glanced back at his girlfriend, Hutchins.

From The Daily Beast

It was 4:30 in the morning, I had a mouthful of blood and raw chicken and it just—you get yourself into a very strange place.

From The Daily Beast

The Swedish plane has got a mouthful of a name: the JAS 39E Gripen.

From The Daily Beast

It was a mouthful of a lesson, but after learning it once, you never had to memorize it again.

From The Daily Beast

Food in Calabria was pride, self-sufficiency and community all mixed together in one mouthful.

From The Daily Beast

Haggard was in a state of suppressed excitement, and he couldn't eat a mouthful.

From Project Gutenberg

He saw a large sheath-knife, and secured that in his own belt; then he took a mouthful of wine, and went to his post.

From Project Gutenberg

Here was porridge enough to last a small boy a lifetime, and he could not stop to taste one mouthful!

From Project Gutenberg

With the disappearance of the last mouthful on her plate, Tilly drew a long breath.

From Project Gutenberg

Young Joe tried to smile, with a slice of chicken in one hand and a spoonful of preserves in the other, and a mouthful of both.

From Project Gutenberg