- present participle of mouth.
mouthing
Americannoun
-
the action of speaking in a meaningless, bombastic, or hypocritical manner.
-
an instance of this.
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.
Nix was shaking her head and appeared to be mouthing words while he spoke to her.
From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026
I am reminded of these words of Herman Melville: “A man thinks that by mouthing hard words he understands hard things.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
"Oh no," he added, before silently mouthing the word into the microphone.
From Salon • Nov. 5, 2024
Today, that means he is dancing in a suit and mouthing the lyrics “I pay attention to things that most people ignore,” a line from a song by pop star Olivia Rodrigo.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 24, 2024
He read books, slowly, mouthing words, holding them reverently like an altar boy the missal for the officiating priest.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
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.
