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tooth

[ tooth ]

/ tuθ /

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See synonyms for: tooth / teeth / toothed / toothing on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural teeth.

(in most vertebrates) one of the hard bodies or processes usually attached in a row to each jaw, serving for the prehension and mastication of food, as weapons of attack or defense, etc., and in mammals typically composed chiefly of dentin surrounding a sensitive pulp and covered on the crown with enamel.

(in invertebrates) any of various similar or analogous processes occurring in the mouth or alimentary canal, or on a shell.

any projection resembling or suggesting a tooth.

one of the projections of a comb, rake, saw, etc.

Machinery.

any of the uniform projections on a gear or rack by which it drives, or is driven by, a gear, rack, or worm.
any of the uniform projections on a sprocket by which it drives or is driven by a chain.

Botany.

any small, toothlike marginal lobe.
one of the toothlike divisions of the peristome of mosses.

a sharp, distressing, or destructive attribute or agency.

taste, relish, or liking.

a surface, as on a grinding wheel or sharpening stone, slightly roughened so as to increase friction with another part.

a rough surface created on a paper made for charcoal drawing, watercolor, or the like, or on canvas for oil painting.

verb (used with object), toothed

[tootht, toothd], /tuθt, tuðd/, tooth·ing

[too-thing, -thing]. /ˈtu θɪŋ, -ðɪŋ/.

to furnish with teeth.

to cut teeth upon.

verb (used without object), toothed

[tootht, toothd], /tuθt, tuðd/, tooth·ing

[too-thing, -thing]. /ˈtu θɪŋ, -ðɪŋ/.

to interlock, as cogwheels.

OTHER WORDS FOR tooth

8 fondness, partiality, predilection.

See synonyms for tooth on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

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Question 1 of 7

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Idioms about tooth

by the skin of one's teeth, barely: He got away by the skin of his teeth.

cast / throw in someone's teeth, to reproach someone for (an action): History will ever throw this blunder in his teeth.

cut one's teeth on, to do at the beginning of one's education, career, etc., or in one's youth: The hunter boasted of having cut his teeth on tigers.

in the teeth of,

so as to face or confront; straight into or against: in the teeth of the wind.
in defiance of; in opposition to: She maintained her stand in the teeth of public opinion.

long in the tooth, old; elderly.

put teeth in / into, to establish or increase the effectiveness of: to put teeth into the law.

set one's teeth, to become resolute; prepare for difficulty: He set his teeth and separated the combatants.

set / put one's teeth on edge,

to induce an unpleasant sensation.
to repel; irritate: The noise of the machines sets my teeth on edge.

show one's teeth, to become hostile or threatening; exhibit anger: Usually friendly, she suddenly began to show her teeth.

to the teeth, entirely; fully: armed to the teeth; dressed to the teeth in furs.

Origin of tooth

before 900; Middle English; Old English tōth; cognate with Dutch tand,German Zahn,Old Norse tǫnn; akin to Gothic tunthus,Latin dēns,Greek odoús (Ionic odṓn), Sanskrit dánta

OTHER WORDS FROM tooth

toothlike, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tooth in a sentence

"Like when our doctor cutted poor Baby's tooths to make them come through," said Peggy, eagerly.
Little Miss Peggy|Mrs. Molesworth
He saw no bears, lions or saber-tooths among those streaming hordes.
In the Morning of Time|Charles G. D. Roberts
And I told her as how I thought it would have two tooths soon, and she said that would be interest.
The Story of Opal|Opal Whiteley
We had the remains of the dessert, the pick-tooths, and another bottle of the Catalan wine to ourselves.
Claret and Olives, from the Garonne to the Rhone|Angus B. Reach

And this is the case, according to Mr. Tooths observation, with all that he has seen or heard of, viz.
The Book of Curiosities|I. Platts

British Dictionary definitions for tooth

tooth

/ (tuːθ) /

noun plural teeth (tiːθ)

any of various bonelike structures set in the jaws of most vertebrates and modified, according to the species, for biting, tearing, or chewingRelated adjective: dental

any of various similar structures in invertebrates, occurring in the mouth or alimentary canal

anything resembling a tooth in shape, prominence, or functionthe tooth of a comb

any of the various small indentations occurring on the margin of a leaf, petal, etc

any one of a number of uniform projections on a gear, sprocket, rack, etc, by which drive is transmitted

taste or appetite (esp in the phrase sweet tooth)

long in the tooth old or ageing: used originally of horses, because their gums recede with age

tooth and nail with ferocity and forcewe fought tooth and nail

verb (tuːð, tuːθ)

(tr) to provide with a tooth or teeth

(intr) (of two gearwheels) to engage

Derived forms of tooth

toothless, adjectivetoothlike, adjective

Word Origin for tooth

Old English tōth; related to Old Saxon tand, Old High German zand, Old Norse tonn, Gothic tunthus, Latin dens

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 tooth

tooth

[ tōōth ]

Plural teeth (tēth)

Any of the hard bony structures in the mouth used to grasp and chew food and as weapons of attack and defense. In mammals and many other vertebrates, the teeth are set in sockets in the jaw. In fish and amphibians, they grow in and around the palate. See also dentition.

A similar structure in certain invertebrate animals.

Cultural definitions for tooth

tooth

A hard structure, embedded in the jaws of the mouth, that functions in chewing. The tooth consists of a crown, covered with hard white enamel; a root, which anchors the tooth to the jawbone; and a “neck” between the crown and the root, covered by the gum. Most of the tooth is made up of dentin, which is located directly below the enamel. The soft interior of the tooth, the pulp, contains nerves and blood vessels. Humans have molars for grinding food, incisors for cutting, and canines and bicuspids for tearing.

Other Idioms and Phrases with tooth

tooth

In addition to the idiom beginning with tooth

tooth fairy

also see:

fight tooth and nail
fine-tooth comb
long in the tooth
sweet tooth

Also see underteeth.

tooth

OTHER WORDS FOR tooth

Idioms about tooth

Origin of tooth

OTHER WORDS FROM tooth

Words related to tooth

How to use tooth in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tooth

Derived forms of tooth

Word Origin for tooth

Scientific definitions for tooth

Cultural definitions for tooth

Other Idioms and Phrases with tooth