oral

American  

[awr-uhl] / ˈɔr əl /

adjective

1. uttered by the mouth; spoken.

   oral testimony.

2. of, using, or transmitted by speech.

   oral methods of language teaching; oral traditions.

3. of, relating to, or involving the mouth.

   the oral cavity.

4. done, taken, or administered through the mouth.

   an oral dose of medicine.

5. Phonetics. articulated with none of the voice issuing through the nose, as the normal English vowels and the consonants b and v.

6. Psychoanalysis.

   1. 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.

   2. of or relating to the sublimation of feelings experienced during the oral stage of childhood.

      oral anxiety.

   3. of or relating to gratification by stimulation of the lips or membranes of the mouth, as in sucking, eating, or talking

7. Zoology. pertaining to that surface of polyps and marine animals that contains the mouth and tentacles.

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noun

1. an oral examination in a school, college, or university, given especially to a candidate for an advanced degree.

oral British  

/ ˈɒrəl, ˈɔːrəl /

adjective

1. spoken or verbal

   an oral agreement

2. relating to, affecting, or for use in the mouth

   an oral thermometer

3. of or relating to the surface of an animal, such as a jellyfish, on which the mouth is situated

4. denoting a drug to be taken by mouth Compare parenteral

   an oral contraceptive

5. of, relating to, or using spoken words

6. 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

7. psychoanal

   1. relating to a stage of psychosexual development during which the child's interest is concentrated on the mouth

   2. denoting personality traits, such as dependence, selfishness, and aggression, resulting from fixation at the oral stage Compare anal genital phallic

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noun

1. an examination in which the questions and answers are spoken rather than written

oral Scientific  

/ ôr′əl /

1. Relating to or involving the mouth.

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Usage

See verbal.

Other Word Forms

• nonoral
  adjective
• orality
  noun
• orally
  adverb
• postoral
  adjective
• suboral
  adjective
• unoral
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of oral

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin ōr- (stem of ōs ) “mouth” (cognate with Sanskrit āsya ) + -al ¹

Explanation

The word oral means having to do with the mouth or speaking. When you give an oral report in school, you stand in front of the class and talk. Use the adjective oral to describe something that's spoken aloud, like an oral exam or an oral history passed between generations through bedtime stories. Oral is also good for referring to other things you do with your mouth — your dentist may drive you crazy talking about "oral hygiene," or keeping your teeth clean. The roots of the word oral go back to the Latin word for "mouth," which is os.

Example Sentences

Even so, the growing evidence suggests that oral health may play a much larger role in metabolic health than many people realize.

From Science Daily • May 16, 2026

MPs who are judged to have broken the code of conduct face a range of punishments from a written or oral apology to suspension from the House or even expulsion, in the most serious cases.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

Professors at campuses across the country have turned to old-fashioned blue books, oral exams and AI-detection software to combat cheating.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

There are surprisingly few contraindications to oral estradiol, and women can talk to their doctors to see if this is an option.

From MarketWatch • May 12, 2026

We had to record oral histories from senior citizens in a retirement home.

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed