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

see also in the teeth of, 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The rebar inside looked like rusted braces without teeth. —Danielle Paquette The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 17 Feb. 2026 The company has already cut its teeth off-Earth with Haven Demo, a 1,100-pound (500-kilogram) pathfinder spacecraft that launched to LEO this past November to demonstrate key Haven technologies. —Mike Wall, Space.com, 16 Feb. 2026 Long believed lost, this 1958 CBS production, from that era when great filmmakers cut their teeth directing classic plays and novels and original dramas for TV broadcast, was unearthed in 2019. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026 Tammy Boarman began keeping a jug of bottled water next to the sink for brushing her teeth. —Nick Bowlin, The Frontier, 16 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tooth

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

Rhymes for tooth

See All Rhymes for tooth

Browse Nearby Words

tooter
tooth
toothache
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tooth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tooth. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.

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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

More from Merriam-Webster on tooth

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for tooth

Nglish: Translation of tooth for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tooth

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