tooth
noun
\ ˈtüth
\
\
plural teeth\ ˈtēth
\
\
Definition of tooth
1a
: 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
3a
teeth plural
: effective means of enforcement
drug laws with teeth
b
: something that injures, tortures, devours, or destroys
jealousy with rankling tooth— Thomas Gray
5
: a roughness of surface produced by mechanical or artificial means
in the teeth of
to the teeth
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
: fully, completely
armed to the teeth
Illustration of tooth
tooth 1a: 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
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Other Words from tooth
toothlike
\ ˈtüth-ˌlīk
\
adjective
\
adjective
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.
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Recent Examples on the Web
ShaneJoy Mills asked her daughter Brooke to please show her teeth for the photo. — Jeremy Henderson, al, "Auburn snake stars in scary back-to-school photobomb," 11 Aug. 2019 Use these strategies during your children’s everyday activities, such as brushing their teeth, having lunch, going to the park or riding in a car. — J. Ganz, The Conversation, "5 tips for parents to build communication skills with children with autism spectrum disorder," 8 Aug. 2019 But Snopes’s actions against the Bee have had real teeth. — David French, National Review, "Hands Off the Babylon Bee," 30 July 2019 Fortunately, this surprise didn’t have teeth or produce any damage. — Chris Bianchi, The Denver Post, "Rare funnel cloud spotted near Rocky Mountain National Park," 25 July 2019 Why can the cats have human teeth but Sonic the Hedgehog can’t? — Travis M. Andrews, Washington Post, "The ‘Cats’ trailer dropped. We have 34 questions.," 18 July 2019 In late June, before the ruling, the group filed the latest version of its proposal to establish a police panel with more teeth at City Hall. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: Court ruling on SDPD shooting boosts push for stronger police oversight," 21 July 2019 The Rapid Relief Sensitive edition is free of artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives, making it a must-buy for those with sensitive teeth. — Tess Garcia, Health.com, "Amazon Prime Day 2019 Has Huge Savings on Toothbrushes, Water Flossers, and More," 15 July 2019 The hope was to bring together the detective skills of a T-cell receptor and the destructive properties of an antibody: these were meant to be drug-sniffing dogs with sharp teeth. — Siddhartha Mukherjee, The New Yorker, "The Promise and Price of Cellular Therapies," 15 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tooth.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for tooth
tooth
noun
English Language Learners Definition of tooth
: one of the hard white objects inside the mouth that are used for biting and chewing
: a sharp or pointed object that sticks out of something and is part of a row of similar objects
: the power that makes something effective
See the full definition for tooth in the English Language Learners Dictionary
tooth
noun
\ ˈtüth
\
\
plural teeth\ ˈtēth \
Kids Definition of tooth
1
: one of the hard bony structures set in sockets on the jaws of most vertebrates and used especially to chew and bite
2
: something like or suggesting an animal's tooth in shape, arrangement, or action
the teeth of a comb
3
: one of the projections around the rim of a wheel that fit between the projections on another part causing the other part to move as the wheel turns
tooth
noun
\ ˈtüth
\
\
plural teeth\ ˈtēth
\
\
Medical Definition of tooth
: 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