tongue
noun
\ ˈtəŋ
\
\
Definition of tongue
(Entry 1 of 3)
1a
: a fleshy movable muscular process of the floor of the mouths of most vertebrates that bears sensory end organs and small glands and functions especially in taking and swallowing food and in humans as a speech organ
b
: a part of various invertebrate animals that is analogous to the tongue
2
: the flesh of a tongue (as of the ox or sheep) used as food
b
: manner or quality of utterance with respect to tone or sound, the sense of what is expressed, or the intention of the speaker
she has a clever tongue a sharp tongue
c
: ecstatic, typically unintelligible utterance occurring especially in a moment of religious excitation
—usually plural It would be like the miracle described in the Acts of the Apostles, demonstrated with healing, speaking in tongues and other signs and wonders.— Dan Wakefield… where they can sing and shriek and talk in tongues and testify and have a part.— Jane Kramer
d
: the cry of or as if of a hound pursuing or in sight of game
—used especially in the phrase to give tongue
4
: the power of communication through speech
5
: a tapering flame
tongues of fire
6
: something resembling an animal's tongue in being elongated and fastened at one end only: such as
a
: the flap under the lacing or buckles of a shoe at the throat of the vamp
b
: a movable pin in a buckle
c
: a metal ball suspended inside a bell so as to strike against the sides as the bell is swung
d
: the pole (see pole entry 1 sense 1b) of a vehicle (such as a wagon)
7a
: the rib on one edge of a board that fits into a corresponding groove in an edge of another board to make a flush joint
b
: feather sense 4
8
: a long narrow strip of land projecting into a body of water
tongue
verb
tongued;
tonguing\ ˈtəŋ-iŋ
\
\
Definition of tongue (Entry 2 of 3)
1
: to articulate (notes on a wind instrument) by successively interrupting the stream of wind with the action of the tongue
2
: to touch or lick with or as if with the tongue
3a
: to cut a tongue on
tongue a board
b
: to join (parts, such as boards) by means of a tongue and groove
tongue flooring together
1
: to articulate notes on a wind instrument by successively interrupting the stream of wind with the action of the tongue
2
: to project in a tongue
Tongue
geographical name
\ ˈtəŋ
\
\
Definition of Tongue (Entry 3 of 3)
river 246 miles (396 kilometers) long in northern Wyoming and southern Montana flowing north into the Yellowstone River
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Other Words from tongue
Noun
tonguelike
\ -ˌlīk
\
adjective
\
adjective
Synonyms for tongue
Synonyms: Noun
language, lingo, mother tongue, speech, vocabulary
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Examples of tongue in a Sentence
Noun
The cow ran its tongue over its lips. The taste of the spice was still on her tongue. The little girl stuck her tongue out at me. He spoke in a foreign tongue. English is my native tongue. They speak the same tongue. His sharp tongue is going to get him into trouble someday.Verb
learning how to tongue notes on the clarinet
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Romero has begun sticking out his tongue every time Costa lands a major strike. — Todd Martin, Los Angeles Times, "UFC 241 live updates: Daniel Cormier vs. Stipe Miocic," 17 Aug. 2019 Instead, the four-year-old stuck her tongue out at the throngs of people, an adorable moment of regal rebellion. — Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, "Prince George and Princess Charlotte “Lean on Each Other,” As Playdates Can Be "Tricky"," 15 Aug. 2019 The vast majority of the time, that means biting your tongue. — Dr. Travis Bradberry, Quartz at Work, "Nine skills you should learn that pay off forever," 13 Aug. 2019 Kate's daughter refused to wave to onlookers, instead sticking out her tongue. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "Parents Are Praising Kate Middleton for Her Sweet Reaction to Princess Charlotte," 9 Aug. 2019 Rather than bite his tongue and brush the remarks aside, Keegan went on a rant and there was no holding back. — SI.com, "10 Iconic Football Catchphrases That Could Be Trademarked," 31 July 2019 Christian was later seen on local television, sticking her tongue out at a news crew as she was escorted by law enforcement officers. — Fox News, "Handcuffed suspect stole police cruiser, authorities say," 14 July 2019 Otherwise, maybe just bite your tongue and pass the Brussels sprouts. — Dylan Scott, Vox, "The data is clear: nobody actually fights about politics at Thanksgiving dinner," 21 Nov. 2018 To dismiss a screen, just stick out your tongue—you'll navigate back to your previous position. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "Kooky Netflix Hack Lets You Navigate the App Using Only Eye and Facial Movements," 8 Nov. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The poison-tongued potty mouth crashed Stephen Colbert’s monologue Tuesday night and directed his brash brand of comedy at Colbert, late-night and, of course, President Trump. — Libby Hill, latimes.com, "Deadpool crashes Colbert and unleashes some top-notch, lowbrow Trump humor," 16 May 2018 In the painted world, Beaverbrook is stricter and Maugham more acid-tongued than ever. — Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, "Children’s Books: Meeting the People in the Paintings," 5 July 2018 Along with the Burmese Python, Andersen brought an armadillo, a chinchilla, a leopard tortoise and an Australian blue-tongued skink. — Lisa Dejong, cleveland.com, "Outback Ray's Amazing Animal Show (photos)," 5 Mar. 2018 Broussard is just one of Burke’s finely nuanced characters; others include a silver-tongued, wealthy, ostensibly populist businessman who is snugly in bed with white nationalists. — Adam Woog, The Seattle Times, "Crime fiction: James Lee Burke’s latest brings back deputy ‘Robicheaux’," 14 Jan. 2018 If your colleagues or clients grow irate over unanswered emails, tell them to submit a complaint to Slinky, the blue-tongued skink. — Andrea Sachs, The Seattle Times, "Petting zoos at the office are the latest perk for stressed-out employees," 25 Dec. 2017 Sullivan elicits the suave personality of the silver-tongued attorney, but also imbues him with a tough guy persona. — Theodore P. Mahne, NOLA.com, "Sharp dances drive JPAS' arresting production of 'Chicago'," 9 Oct. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tongue.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.