toothpick

American  

[tooth-pik] / ˈtuθˌpɪk /

noun

• toothpicks
  plural

1. a small pointed piece of wood, plastic, etc., for removing substances, especially food particles, from between the teeth.

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toothpick British  

/ ˈtuːθˌpɪk /

noun

1. a small sharp sliver of wood, plastic, etc, used for extracting pieces of food from between the teeth

2. a slang word for bowie knife

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• toothpicks
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of toothpick

First recorded in 1480–90; tooth + pick ²

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Explanation

A toothpick is a device made for cleaning bits of food out of your teeth. Toothpicks are also used to pick up small appetizers or other tidbits. At a fancy party, use toothpicks for eating hors d'oeuvres, not for digging food out of your teeth! Tooth-picking is, in fact, the original intended use of these handy tools. Experts believe that toothpicks were invented long before modern humans evolved—there's evidence that Neanderthals used toothpicks. In the 17th century, toothpicks were a luxury (and sometimes made of silver), but by the early 20th century, factories were mass producing wooden toothpicks for everyone to enjoy.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

toothpick toothpicks

For Jenga, it was how to add weight to the tiny blocks to make sure they could stack well—players still need to use a toothpick to slide them out.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Paparazzi captured images of Antonoff, Swift's longtime producer, sporting a tux and a toothpick dangling out of his mouth, reportedly heading to Thursday's event at the Garden.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

Heavier spars require a larger sail while people who build miniature kites sometimes don’t include a spar or will only use half a toothpick, Choi said.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2026

And when a Labrador retriever owned by another company officer gulped down a bagel impaled with a toothpick, he said, most of the resulting $10,5000 surgical bill was covered as well.

From New York Times ● Jun. 7, 2024

Mr. Tompkin looked up over the top of his book, adjusted his toothpick, and said, “Try breathing through your mouth.”

From "When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead

And businesses can turn it into products ranging from furniture to toothpicks.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 23, 2024

He told MLB.com in 2016 that he goes through at least two in every game, totaling well over 8,000 toothpicks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2023

Burgers in advertising images, says Ms Wardle, often have "scaffolding" made of toothpicks to stop the bun sliding off the mayonnaise.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2023

And on top of that, you can even eat the "toothpicks?"

From Salon ● May 26, 2023

Jessie put down her toothpicks and looked down the stairs.

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser

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