oral
uttered by the mouth; spoken: oral testimony.
of, using, or transmitted by speech: oral methods of language teaching; oral traditions.
of, relating to, or involving the mouth: the oral cavity.
done, taken, or administered through the mouth: an oral dose of medicine.
Phonetics. articulated with none of the voice issuing through the nose, as the normal English vowels and the consonants b and v.
Psychoanalysis.
of or relating to the earliest phase of infantile psychosexual development, lasting from birth to one year of age or longer, during which pleasure is obtained from eating, sucking, and biting.
of or relating to the sublimation of feelings experienced during the oral stage of childhood: oral anxiety.
of or relating to gratification by stimulation of the lips or membranes of the mouth, as in sucking, eating, or talking
Zoology. pertaining to that surface of polyps and marine animals that contains the mouth and tentacles.
an oral examination in a school, college, or university, given especially to a candidate for an advanced degree.
Origin of oral
1usage note For oral
Other words from oral
- o·ral·i·ty, noun
- o·ral·ly, adverb
- non·o·ral, adjective
- post·o·ral, adjective
- sub·o·ral, adjective
- un·o·ral, adjective
Words that may be confused with oral
- oral , aural
Words Nearby oral
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use oral in a sentence
The Supreme Court’s first oral arguments in its new term will be held by remote teleconference because of the continued threat posed by the coronavirus pandemic, the justices announced Wednesday.
Because of pandemic, Supreme Court will begin new term with teleconference arguments | Robert Barnes | September 16, 2020 | Washington PostSabin’s so-called attenuated strains became the famous oral polio vaccine given on a sugar cube to billions of children.
Synthetic biologists have created a slow-growing version of the coronavirus to give as a vaccine | David Rotman | September 16, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewThere’s little doubt that in this process, the virus also spreads to the body’s oral cavity.
Spit vs. Swab? Scientists say new studies support use of ‘saliva tests’ for COVID | Lee Clifford | September 5, 2020 | FortuneIn a typical LAMP assay, a patient’s nasal or oral swab sample is mixed with enzymes and specially designed DNA fragments, then heated to 65° Celsius to copy the viral RNA to DNA and produce many more DNA copies.
New coronavirus tests promise to be faster, cheaper and easier | Jack J. Lee | August 31, 2020 | Science NewsIt’s transmitted through the fecal-oral route, meaning that humans consume food that has contaminated feces on it.
The Salmonella Outbreaks Among Peaches and Onions, Explained | Jenny G. Zhang | August 28, 2020 | Eater
My doctor put me on oral contraceptives to induce a period, figuring it would help build bone.
The second major split between the capital and the court occurred over oral care.
“He was attempting to force me into oral sex,” Ruehli told Philadelphia Magazine.
Bill Cosby’s Long List of Accusers (So Far): 18 Alleged Sexual Assault Victims Between 1965-2004 | Marlow Stern | November 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAlso, when Nelson died and Hugh Morrow did his own oral history project and talked to about 75 Rockefeller associates.
The papers report that J.W. was too afraid to resist his command for her to perform oral sex on him.
These oral inanities only served to make Lyn give me the benefit of a look of amused wonder.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairBut none of the orders given were more than oral, for the governor did not want them set on the records.
oral evidence may be admitted to establish the location of monuments, and even hearsay evidence may be used for the purpose.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman | Albert Sidney Bollesoral evidence is admissible to prove the fraud or mistake; it must, however, be clear before a court will grant relief.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman | Albert Sidney BollesThe improvement of land by the purchaser under an oral contract is an act which enables him to enforce the contract in equity.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman | Albert Sidney Bolles
British Dictionary definitions for oral
/ (ˈɔːrəl, ˈɒrəl) /
spoken or verbal: an oral agreement
relating to, affecting, or for use in the mouth: an oral thermometer
of or relating to the surface of an animal, such as a jellyfish, on which the mouth is situated
denoting a drug to be taken by mouth: an oral contraceptive Compare parenteral
of, relating to, or using spoken words
phonetics pronounced with the soft palate in a raised position completely closing the nasal cavity and allowing air to pass out only through the mouth
psychoanal
relating to a stage of psychosexual development during which the child's interest is concentrated on the mouth
denoting personality traits, such as dependence, selfishness, and aggression, resulting from fixation at the oral stage: Compare anal (def. 2), genital (def. 2), phallic (def. 2)
an examination in which the questions and answers are spoken rather than written
Origin of oral
1Derived forms of oral
- orally, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for oral
[ ôr′əl ]
Relating to or involving the mouth.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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