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

The title is a mouthful, but, to be fair, a lot is stuffed into director Jane Schoenbrun’s much-acclaimed slasher riff.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026

If that seems like a mouthful, here’s the takeaway from researchers themselves: Allen Scheie, a physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, says the result “raises the bar for what can be expected from quantum computers.”

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 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’s lighter than some Italian-American standbys, but no less satisfying — the flavor comes forward with every twist of the fork, sharp and indulgent in equal measure, a little citrus perfume in every mouthful.

From Salon • Dec. 18, 2025

“What ’ood?” she asks through her mouthful of chocolate.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish