tooth

noun

ˈtüth How to pronounce tooth (audio)
plural teeth ˈtēth How to pronounce tooth (audio)
Synonyms of toothnext
1
a
: one of the hard bony appendages that are borne on the jaws or in many of the lower vertebrates on other bones in the walls of the mouth or pharynx and serve especially for the prehension and mastication of food and as weapons of offense and defense
b
: any of various usually hard and sharp processes especially about the mouth of an invertebrate
2
: a projection resembling or suggesting the tooth of an animal in shape, arrangement, or action
a saw tooth
: such as
a
: any of the regular projections on the circumference or sometimes the face of a wheel that engage with corresponding projections on another wheel especially to transmit force : cog
b
: a small sharp-pointed marginal lobe or process on a plant
3
a
teeth plural : effective means of enforcement
drug laws with teeth
b
: something that injures, tortures, devours, or destroys
jealousy with rankling tooth—Thomas Gray
4
: taste, liking
5
: a roughness of surface produced by mechanical or artificial means
toothlike
ˈtüth-ˌlīk How to pronounce tooth (audio)
adjective

Illustration of tooth

Illustration of tooth
  • A outside of a molar
  • 1 crown
  • 2 neck
  • 3 roots
  • B cross section of a molar
  • 1 enamel
  • 2 dentin
  • 3 pulp
  • 4 cementum
  • 5 gum
  • C dentition of adult human (upper) D dentition of adult human (lower)
  • 1 incisors
  • 2 canines
  • 3 bicuspids
  • 4 molars
Phrases
in the teeth of
1
: in or into direct contact or collision with
sailing in the teeth of a hurricane—Current Biography
2
: in direct opposition to
rule had … been imposed by conquest in the teeth of obstinate resistance—A. J. Toynbee
to the teeth
: fully, completely
armed to the teeth

Examples of tooth in a Sentence

The dentist will have to pull that tooth. You should brush your teeth every morning and night. She clenched her teeth in anger. He has a set of false teeth. the teeth of a saw The labor union showed that it has teeth.
Recent Examples on the Web Since the early 2010s, Martika, 54, has largely stayed out of the spotlight. 04 of 07 Jennifer Love Hewitt as Robin Another Hollywood favorite whose career has spanned decades, Jennifer Love Hewitt also cut her teeth playing Robin on the Disney show. —Stephanie Sengwe, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024 Then came an attempt to give the appropriations process teeth by setting an April deadline to pass the full-year spending bills or impose across-the-board cuts. —Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2024 At the same time that Doja Cat cut her teeth in the Leimert Park underground that had birthed Medusa a generation before, other female rappers started garnering attention in the middle years of the last decade. —Liz Sanchez, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024 Nolan, 18, is a 6-3 freshman four-spot infielder for OSU (13-14), still cutting his teeth but getting starts against left-handers. —Jim Lindgren, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024 When the climate crisis causes a young man’s teeth to fall out, and a young girl clings to reruns of Friends as the last WALL-E–style vestige of Western civilization, Leave the World Behind proves unexceptional — and unacceptable. —Armond White, National Review, 10 Apr. 2024 Tucked away inside the teachers lounge at a New Hampshire elementary school, Amber Warner was having her teeth checked out for the first time. —Michael Casey, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Apr. 2024 In Hollywood, Drew cut her teeth working on productions from alt-comedy idols like André, Nathan Fielder, Tim Robinson, Scott Aukerman, Sacha Baron Cohen and Tim and Eric — largely editing projects that necessitated specific timing to make the offbeat humor hit perfectly. —William Earl, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024 For example, dental problems like gum disease or tooth decay can result in bad breath that permeates throughout your furry friend's entire body. —Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tooth.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English tōth; akin to Old High German zand tooth, Latin dent-, dens, Greek odont-, odous

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of tooth was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing tooth

Dictionary Entries Near tooth

toot

tooth

toothache

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Tooth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tooth. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

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Kids Definition

tooth

noun
ˈtüth How to pronounce tooth (audio)
plural teeth ˈtēth How to pronounce tooth (audio)
1
a
: one of the hard bony structures that are usually located on the jaws of vertebrates and are used for seizing and chewing food and as weapons
b
: any of various usually hard and sharp structures especially around the mouth of an invertebrate
2
a
: something like or suggesting the tooth of an animal in shape, arrangement, or action
the tooth of a saw
b
: one of the projections on the rim of a cogwheel that fit between the projections on another part especially to transmit force : cog
toothless
ˈtüth-ləs
adjective
toothlike
-ˌlīk How to pronounce tooth (audio)
adjective

Medical Definition

tooth

noun
ˈtüth How to pronounce tooth (audio)
plural teeth ˈtēth How to pronounce tooth (audio)
: any of the hard bony appendages that are borne on the jaws and serve especially for the prehension and mastication of food see milk tooth, permanent tooth
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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