Your teeth are the hard white objects in your mouth, which you use for biting and chewing.
She had very pretty straight teeth.
If a tooth feels very loose, your dentist may recommend that it's taken out.
2. plural noun
The teeth of something such as a comb, saw, cog, or zip are the parts that stick out in a row on its edge.
The front cog has 44 teeth.
3. plural noun
If you say that something such as an official group or a law has teeth, you mean that it has power and is able to be effective.
The opposition argues that the new council will be unconstitutional and without teeth.
The law must have teeth, and it must be enforced.
4. See also wisdom tooth
5.
See armed to the teeth
6.
See to cut your teeth on something
7.
See to set your teeth on edge
8.
See to fight tooth and nail
9.
See get one's teeth into sth
10.
See in the teeth of
11.
See lie through one's teeth
12.
See long in the tooth
13.
See a sweet tooth
14. to get the bit between your teeth
15. to give one's eye teeth for something
16. to gnash one's teeth
17. to grit your teeth
18. a kick in the teeth
19. by the skin of your teeth
tooth in British English
(tuːθ)
nounWord forms: pluralteeth (tiːθ)
1.
any of various bonelike structures set in the jaws of most vertebrates and modified, according to the species, for biting, tearing, or chewing
▶ Related adjective: dental
2.
any of various similar structures in invertebrates, occurring in the mouth or alimentary canal
3.
anything resembling a tooth in shape, prominence, or function
the tooth of a comb
4.
any of the various small indentations occurring on the margin of a leaf, petal, etc
5.
any one of a number of uniform projections on a gear, sprocket, rack, etc, by which drive is transmitted
6.
taste or appetite (esp in the phrase sweet tooth)
7. long in the tooth
8. tooth and nail
verb (tuːð, tuːθ)
9. (transitive)
to provide with a tooth or teeth
10. (intransitive)
(of two gearwheels) to engage
Derived forms
toothless (ˈtoothless)
adjective
toothlike (ˈtoothˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
Old English tōth; related to Old Saxon tand, Old High German zand, Old Norse tonn, Gothic tunthus, Latin dens
tooth in American English
(tuθ; for v., also tuð)
nounWord forms: pluralteeth (tiθ)
1.
a.
any of a set of hard, bonelike structures set in the jaws of most vertebrates andused for biting, tearing, and chewing: a tooth consists typically of a sensitive, vascular pulp surrounded by dentin and coated on the crown with enamel and on the root with cementum: normally 32 are in the permanent set and 20 in the deciduous set of a human
b.
any of various analogous processes in invertebrates
c. [pl.]
denture (sense 2)
2.
something resembling a tooth; toothlike part, as on a saw, fork, rake, gearwheel, etc.; tine, prong, cog, etc.
3.
appetite or taste for something specified: now only in sweet tooth
4.
something that bites, pierces, or gnaws like a tooth
the teeth of the storm
5.
a rough surface, as on paper, metal, etc.
6. [pl.]
a sound or effective means of enforcing something
to put teeth into a law
7. Botany
any small, pointed lobe, as of a leaf or of the fringe surrounding the opening of a capsule in mosses
verb transitive
8.
to provide with teeth
9.
to make jagged; indent
verb intransitive
10.
to mesh, or become interlocked, as gears
Idioms:
long in the tooth
tooth and nail
SYNONYMY NOTE: tooth is the general, inclusive word (see the definition above); , tusk refers to a long, pointed, enlarged tooth projecting outside the mouth in certainanimals, as the elephant, wild boar, and walrus, and used for digging or as a weapon;, fang refers either to one of the long, sharp teeth with which meat-eating animals teartheir prey or to the long, hollow tooth through which poisonous snakes inject theirvenom
Derived forms
toothless (ˈtoothless)
adjective
Word origin
ME < OE toth (< *tanth), akin to Ger zahn < IE *edont- (< base *ed-, to eat) > L dens (gen. dentis), Gr odous (gen. odontos)
tooth in Mechanical Engineering
(tuθ)
Word forms: (plural) teeth
noun
(Mechanical engineering: General)
The teeth on a gear, sprocket, or rack are the parts that stick out from it and mate with teeth on another part to transmit motion.
As the gear teeth mesh, they roll and slide over each other.
The crankshaft gear has 34 teeth.
The teeth on a gear, sprocket, or rack are the parts that stick out from it and mate with teethon another part to transmit motion.
More idioms containing
tooth
be long in the tooth
fight tooth and nail
have a sweet tooth
red in tooth and claw
COBUILD Collocations
tooth
clenched teeth
crooked tooth
front teeth
gold tooth
gritted teeth
have a tooth removed
rotten teeth
white teeth
Examples of 'tooth' in a sentence
tooth
One for those with a cinematic sweet tooth.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The pup was born with a narrow jaw which causes his lower teeth to stick out.
The Sun (2017)
How can nature be comforting and at the same time red in tooth and claw?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Your table may be right by the edge, so steady with the false teeth.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Dogs have two sets of teeth, just as humans do.
The Sun (2016)
I am going to fight this with my nails and my teeth.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
My teeth are definitely whiter!
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They concluded that these were the result of pulling meat out of teeth with one hand while cutting it with a stone knife held in the other.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The Premier League will fight tooth and nail to keep control.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
As a result my sweet tooth went so I don't have dessert now.
The Sun (2017)
Then one of my teeth dropped out at a stag do!
The Sun (2012)
The ambulance worker knew her sweet tooth was bad for her health.
The Sun (2015)
People wanted to make me have straighter teeth.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Users tell me that your teeth feel strangely loose afterwards.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
It also chipped a gap in my two front teeth.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
We have had two big clubs fighting tooth and nail to get it.
The Sun (2011)
Teams are going to have to fight tooth and nail to beat us.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
This smug attempt at honesty set more than a few teeth on edge.
The Sun (2014)
He had been punched so hard in the mouth a tooth was rammed down his throat.
The Sun (2009)
Like it was in his tooth or something?
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
They will use the governmental power to force through unwanted change in the teeth of bitter opposition.
Hirst, Paul After Thatcher (1989)
Put your tongue against the back of your front teeth to firm up a double chin.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Put your foot down and it sprouts teeth and claws.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The fox warrior pulled off his helm and smiled with the glint of strong white teeth.
Kerr, Katharine A Time of War (1993)
Now the two bald men are fighting over a comb with no teeth.
The Sun (2015)
The open mouth with the teeth sticking out is unsettling.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The dog had knocked away one of his teeth as he bit his jaw.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
We know that sugar and sweets will rot our teeth and may make us fat.
Wallace, Louise M & Bundy, Christine Coping with Angina (1990)
So if you have an uncontrollable sweet tooth eats lots of fruit instead.
Holford, Patrick The Family Nutrition Workbook (1988)
There seemed no explanation as to how a set of false teeth appeared overnight on the lawn in our walled garden.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The false teeth gave him problems.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
His teeth are straight but grey!
The Sun (2009)
The gums may also be receding leaving the lower margins of the teeth exposed and sensitive to heat, cold and acids.
Chaitow, Leon Bad Breath (1994)
In other languages
tooth
British English: tooth /tuːθ/ NOUN
in your mouth Your teeth are the hard, white things in your mouth that you use to bite and chew food.
I clean my teeth twice a day.
American English: tooth
Arabic: سِنّ
Brazilian Portuguese: dente
Chinese: 牙
Croatian: zub
Czech: zub
Danish: tand
Dutch: tand
European Spanish: diente
Finnish: hammas
French: dent
German: Zahn
Greek: δόντι
Italian: dente
Japanese: 歯
Korean: 치아
Norwegian: tann
Polish: ząb
European Portuguese: dente
Romanian: dinte
Russian: зуб
Latin American Spanish: diente
Swedish: tand
Thai: ฟัน
Turkish: diş
Ukrainian: зуб
Vietnamese: răng
British English: tooth /ˈtuːθ/ NOUN
comb, zip, saw The teeth of a comb, a saw, or a zip are the parts that are in a row along its edge.
American English: tooth
Arabic: سِنّ
Brazilian Portuguese: dente
Chinese: 齿梳子、锯或拉链的
Croatian: zubac
Czech: zubpily
Danish: tand
Dutch: tand
European Spanish: diente
Finnish: hammas
French: dentpeigne
German: Zahn
Greek: δόντι
Italian: dente
Japanese: 歯
Korean: 이 모양의 것
Norwegian: tann
Polish: ząb
European Portuguese: dente
Romanian: dintetehnic
Russian: зубец
Latin American Spanish: diente
Swedish: tand
Thai: ซี่หวี เลื่อย หรือซิป
Turkish: diş
Ukrainian: зубчик
Vietnamese: răng
All related terms of 'tooth'
egg tooth
(in embryo birds and reptiles ) a temporary tooth or (in birds) projection of the beak used for piercing the eggshell
tooth mug
a mug used to hold toothbrushes and toothpaste in a bathroom
tooth rot
if you have tooth decay , one or more of your teeth has become decayed
two-tooth
a sheep between one and two years old with two permanent incisor teeth
baby tooth
→ milk tooth
back tooth
a tooth in the back of your jaw
gold tooth
Your teeth are the hard white objects in your mouth, which you use for biting and chewing .
milk tooth
Your milk teeth are the first teeth that grow in your mouth , which later fall out and are replaced by a second set .
sweet tooth
a strong liking for sweet foods
tooth decay
If you have tooth decay , one or more of your teeth has become decayed.
tooth fairy
The tooth fairy is an imaginary creature. Children are told that if they put a tooth that comes out under their pillow, the tooth fairy will take it away while they are sleeping and leave a coin in its place.
tooth shell
→ scaphopod
tweet tooth
a person who has a strong craving to post a tweet on the Twitter website
crooked tooth
Your teeth are the hard white objects in your mouth, which you use for biting and chewing .
primary tooth
→ milk tooth
stomach tooth
either of the canine teeth in the lower jaw of an infant
tooth powder
a powder used for cleaning the teeth, applied with a toothbrush
tooth socket
a bony hollow into which a tooth fits
wisdom tooth
Your wisdom teeth are the four large teeth at the back of your mouth which usually grow much later than your other teeth.
deciduous tooth
See milk tooth
permanent tooth
any of the set of 32 adult human teeth that replace the milk teeth, including 4 cuspids , 8 bicuspids, 8 incisors , and 12 molars
a sweet tooth
If you have a sweet tooth , you like sweet food very much.
mill tooth bit
A mill tooth bit is a tricone bit with steel teeth on each cone that are made of the same type of steel as the main part of the bit.
skip-tooth saw
a saw with alternate teeth absent
tooth and nail
with ferocity and force
dog's-tooth check
a pattern of broken or jagged checks , esp one printed on or woven into cloth
fine-tooth comb
a comb with fine teeth set closely together
spike-tooth harrow
a harrow with sharp teeth
strophulus
a type of skin inflammation found mostly in small children
have a sweet tooth
to like eating things that are sugary or taste sweet
hound's-tooth check
a pattern of broken or jagged checks , esp one printed on or woven into cloth
long in the tooth
If you describe someone as long in the tooth , you are saying unkindly or humorously that they are old or getting old.
fight tooth and nail
to make a determined effort to keep or get something, when other people are trying to take it away from you or prevent you from having it
have a tooth removed
Your teeth are the hard white objects in your mouth , which you use for biting and chewing .
canine
Canine means relating to dogs.
be long in the tooth
to be getting old
red in tooth and claw
behaving competitively and ruthlessly
with a fine-tooth comb
very carefully and with great attention to detail
fine-toothed comb
a comb with fine, closely set teeth
houndstooth check
a pattern of broken checks , used in woven material for jackets , shirts , etc.
go over with a fine-tooth comb
to examine very thoroughly
toothshell
any of various burrowing seashore molluscs of the genus Dentalium and related genera that have a long narrow tubular shell open at both ends: class Scaphopoda
tusk shell
any of various burrowing seashore molluscs of the genus Dentalium and related genera that have a long narrow tubular shell open at both ends: class Scaphopoda
to fight tooth and nail fight sth tooth and nail
If you fight tooth and nail to do something, you do everything you can in order to achieve it. If you fight something tooth and nail , you do everything you can in order to prevent it.
go over sth with a fine-tooth comb/go through sth with a fine-tooth comb
If you say that you will go over something with a fine-tooth comb or go through something with a fine-tooth comb , you are emphasizing that you will search it thoroughly or examine it very carefully.
an eye for an eye
You say ' an eye for an eye ' or ' an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth ' to refer to the idea that people should be punished according to the way in which they offended , for example if they hurt someone, they should be hurt equally badly in return .