tongue
5 synonyms and 0 antonyms for tongue, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — The flexible muscular organ in the mouth used for tasting, moving food, and forming speech sounds.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
How to use tongue
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Etymology
From Old English tunge, from a Proto-Germanic root related to Latin lingua — a doublet of "language" and "lingua."
Full origin of tongue →Frequently asked questions
What does “tongue” mean?
The word “tongue” means the flexible muscular organ in the mouth used for tasting, moving food, and forming speech sounds. In plain terms, the organ in your mouth for tasting and speaking, or, figuratively, a language or a narrow strip of something.
How do you pronounce “tongue”?
“Tongue” is pronounced tuhng (/tʌŋ/ in IPA).
How do you use “tongue” in a sentence?
Here is “tongue” used in a sentence: “He burned his tongue on the hot soup.”
What part of speech is “tongue”?
“Tongue” is a noun.
Where does the word “tongue” come from?
The word “tongue” comes from Latin. From Old English tunge, from a Proto-Germanic root related to Latin lingua — a doublet of "language" and "lingua.".
Is “tongue” a common word?
“Tongue” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.
How many meanings does “tongue” have?
“Tongue” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the flexible muscular organ in the mouth used for tasting, moving food, and forming speech sounds.
What is the difference between 'tongue' and 'language'?
Tongue can mean the muscular organ in the mouth used for tasting and speech, or, in a more literary sense, a language itself. 'Language' is the more neutral, everyday word, while 'tongue' meaning language sounds more poetic or formal, as in 'mother tongue' or 'a foreign tongue'.
What do the idioms 'hold your tongue' and 'tongue in cheek' mean?
'Hold your tongue' means to stay silent or refrain from speaking. 'Tongue in cheek' describes something said as a joke or with irony, not meant to be taken seriously. Both idioms use tongue to stand for speech.