tooth
7 synonyms for tooth, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A hard structure in the mouth used for biting and chewing.
Synonyms
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 tooth
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
brush your teeth
sweet tooth
teeth on a gear
long in the tooth
Etymology
From Old English toth, from a Proto-Germanic root, ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European word for "tooth" — a doublet of "dent" and "dens," and related to "tusk."
Full origin of tooth →Frequently asked questions
What does “tooth” mean?
The word “tooth” means a hard structure in the mouth used for biting and chewing. In plain terms, the hard, white structures in your mouth for chewing, or, by extension, any similar pointed projection on a tool or object.
How do you pronounce “tooth”?
“Tooth” is pronounced tooth (/tuθ/ in IPA).
How do you use “tooth” in a sentence?
Here is “tooth” used in a sentence: “She lost a baby tooth at school today.”
What is another word for “tooth”?
Words with a similar meaning to “tooth” include fang and toothypeg.
What part of speech is “tooth”?
“Tooth” is a noun.
Where does the word “tooth” come from?
The word “tooth” comes from Old English. From Old English toth, from a Proto-Germanic root, ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European word for "tooth" — a doublet of "dent" and "dens," and related to "tusk.".
Is “tooth” a common word?
“Tooth” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.
How many meanings does “tooth” have?
“Tooth” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a hard structure in the mouth used for biting and chewing.
Why is the plural of "tooth" "teeth"?
"Tooth" belongs to a small group of English nouns that form their plural by changing the internal vowel rather than adding -s, a pattern inherited from Old English. Similar pairs include foot/feet, goose/geese, and man/men.
What is a tooth on a saw or gear?
On a saw, gear, or comb, a tooth is one of the sharp, pointed projections arranged along its edge. Saw teeth do the cutting, while gear teeth interlock so that one wheel can turn another.
