tooth
tooth
Tooth (noun) means a hard structure in the mouth used for biting and chewing. Example: “He brushed every tooth carefully before going to bed.”
noun
1
A hard structure in the mouth used for biting and chewing.
"He brushed every tooth carefully before going to bed."
"She lost a baby tooth at school today."
"The dentist found a cavity in his back tooth."
2
A sharp, pointed projection, as on a saw, gear, or comb.
"Each tooth on the zip must line up with the one opposite."
"The comb was useless because every second tooth had snapped off."
"One of the teeth on the saw blade was chipped."
How to use tooth
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe hard, white structures in your mouth for chewing, or, by extension, any similar pointed projection on a tool or object.
Common pairings
brush your teeth
sweet tooth
teeth on a gear
long in the tooth
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Word forms
- Plural
- teeth
- Third person singular
- tooths
- Past tense
- toothed
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He brushed every _____ carefully before going to bed.
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."
Related words
Rhymes for tooth
See all rhymes for 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.
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