tongue

1 of 2

noun

ˈtəŋ

: a fleshy movable muscular process of the floor of the mouths of most vertebrates that bears sensory end organs and small glands and functions especially in taking and swallowing food and in humans as a speech organ

: a part of various invertebrate animals that is analogous to the tongue

: the flesh of a tongue (as of the ox or sheep) used as food

: language

especially : a spoken language

: manner or quality of utterance with respect to tone or sound, the sense of what is expressed, or the intention of the speaker

she has a clever tongue

a sharp tongue

: ecstatic, typically unintelligible utterance occurring especially in a moment of religious excitation

—usually plural

It would be like the miracle described in the Acts of the Apostles, demonstrated with healing, speaking in tongues and other signs and wonders.—

Dan Wakefield… where they can sing and shriek and talk in tongues and testify and have a part.—

Jane Kramer

: the cry of or as if of a hound pursuing or in sight of game

—used especially in the phrase to give tongue

: the power of communication through speech

: a tapering flame

tongues of fire

: something resembling an animal's tongue in being elongated and fastened at one end only: such as

: the flap under the lacing or buckles of a shoe at the throat of the vamp

: a movable pin in a buckle

: a metal ball suspended inside a bell so as to strike against the sides as the bell is swung

: the pole (see pole entry 1 sense 1b) of a vehicle (such as a wagon)

: the rib on one edge of a board that fits into a corresponding groove in an edge of another board to make a flush joint

: feather sense 4

: a long narrow strip of land projecting into a body of water

tonguelike

ˈtəŋ-ˌlīk

adjective

tongue

2 of 2

verb

tongued; tonguing ˈtəŋ-iŋ How to pronounce tongue (audio)

; tongues

transitive + intransitive, music : to articulate (notes on a wind instrument) by successively interrupting the stream of wind with the action of the tongue

Playing [the bugle] and tonguing the note and making it come out exactly spot-on, that takes a technique and a skill.—

Bethann Dixon

transitive : to touch or lick (something) with the tongue

cows tonguing the long grass

transitive, carpentry

: to cut a tongue on

tongue a board

: to join (parts, such as boards) by means of a tongue and groove

tongue flooring together

transitive, archaic : scold entry 1

Example Sentences

Noun The cow ran its tongue over its lips. The taste of the spice was still on her tongue. The little girl stuck her tongue out at me. He spoke in a foreign tongue. English is my native tongue. They speak the same tongue. His sharp tongue is going to get him into trouble someday. Verb learning how to tongue notes on the clarinet See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The tongue grows dry, saliva spatters, the lips crack. —

Han Kang, The New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2023 Dysphagia involves several changes to the patient's mouth as a result of brain atrophy, including a decrease in tongue strength as well as saliva production. —

Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 27 Jan. 2023 The crunchy vegetable was served over a slather of creamy black sesame tahini and topped with tongue-tickling Calabrian chili vinaigrette. —

Elazar Sontag, Bon Appétit, 27 Jan. 2023 The kelly green heel and tongue accent will add just enough lucky pigment to any casual ensemble. —

Rebecca Norris, Woman's Day, 26 Jan. 2023 Egyptian embalmers placed amulets to protect and provide vitality for the body in the afterlife, and a gold tongue amulet was placed inside the mouth to ensure the deceased could speak in the afterlife. —

Charlene Gubash, NBC News, 24 Jan. 2023 Diplo then dips his testicles in his margarita and drinks it, and Madonna fulfills a dare to tongue kiss Jack Black. —

Brendan Morrow, The Week, 17 Jan. 2023 Wood died of tongue cancer in September, seven months after her February diagnosis. —

Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 13 Jan. 2023 Sarkar’s research uses a mechanical tongue, bathed in artificial saliva, as a way to simulate what happens as food moves through the mouth and how that influences the sensory experience of eating. —

Chris Gorski, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2023

Verb

An old lady lifts her skirts and orders a man to tongue her in the presence of an appreciative group that includes her own son; a kindly prostitute marks Tiller’s forehead with her menstrual blood. —

Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 8 Feb. 2021 Holy smokes, how much is your Rolling Stones tongue artwork worth?$150,000. —

Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, 11 Feb. 2020 Set in Ohio and based on Celeste Ng’s 2017 bestseller of the same name, Little Fires Everywhere follows the story of the Richardson family, helmed by picture-perfect and silver-tongued matriarch Elena. —

Sara Delgado, Teen Vogue, 20 Feb. 2020 Behind them, looks like Kevan Miller and his wife Haley seem to have gone as Gene and Ace from Kiss, tongues out and ready to rock and roll all night. —

BostonGlobe.com, 31 Oct. 2019 Wale, meanwhile, plays the fiery, silver-tongued Orisha named Chango, an important link to Shadow’s unexplored past. —

Nick Romano, EW.com, 21 Nov. 2019 But along came demure Linda, delicately crashing onto the presidential campaign press bus; then entered bulldozer Nina, with major scoops on Douglas Ginsberg and Anita Hill; and in came tart-tongued Cokie with her savvy Congressional reporting. —

BostonGlobe.com, 18 Sep. 2019 In Semple’s depiction, Bernadette is more than just crabby and eloquently viper-tongued; she’s possessed by a sociopolitical bitterness, as well. —

Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2019 The poison-tongued potty mouth crashed Stephen Colbert’s monologue Tuesday night and directed his brash brand of comedy at Colbert, late-night and, of course, President Trump. —

Libby Hill, latimes.com, 16 May 2018 See More

Kids Definition

tongue

1 of 2 noun

ˈtəŋ

: a fleshy movable muscular part of the floor of the mouth of most vertebrates that has sensory organs (as taste buds) and small glands and functions especially in taking and swallowing food and in human beings as a speech organ

: the flesh of a tongue (as of beef) used as food

: the power of communication : speech

: language sense 1a

: something resembling a tongue (as in being long and fastened at one end)

tongueless

-ləs

adjective

tonguelike

-ˌlīk

adjective

tongue

2 of 2 verb

tongued; tonguing ˈtəŋ-iŋ How to pronounce tongue (audio)

: to touch or lick with or as if with the tongue

: to separate individual notes when playing a wind instrument by interrupting the stream of wind with the tongue

tongue

noun

as in language

the stock of words, pronunciation, and grammar used by a people as their basic means of communication he spoke in a tongue that I didn't understand

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

language
vocabulary
dialect
idiom
mother tongue
speech
terminology
lingo
slang
vernacular
colloquial
pidgin
patois
colloquialism
idiolect
jargon
argot
slanguage
patter
regionalism
parlance
coinage
localism
neologism
modernism
vernacularism
cant
shibboleth
provincialism
acrolect

单词	tongue
释义	tongue 1 of 2 noun ˈtəŋ 1 a : a fleshy movable muscular process of the floor of the mouths of most vertebrates that bears sensory end organs and small glands and functions especially in taking and swallowing food and in humans as a speech organ b : a part of various invertebrate animals that is analogous to the tongue 2 : the flesh of a tongue (as of the ox or sheep) used as food 3 a : language especially : a spoken language b : manner or quality of utterance with respect to tone or sound, the sense of what is expressed, or the intention of the speaker she has a clever tongue a sharp tongue c : ecstatic, typically unintelligible utterance occurring especially in a moment of religious excitation —usually plural It would be like the miracle described in the Acts of the Apostles, demonstrated with healing, speaking in tongues and other signs and wonders.—Dan Wakefield… where they can sing and shriek and talk in tongues and testify and have a part.—Jane Kramer d : the cry of or as if of a hound pursuing or in sight of game —used especially in the phrase to give tongue 4 : the power of communication through speech 5 : a tapering flame tongues of fire 6 : something resembling an animal's tongue in being elongated and fastened at one end only: such as a : the flap under the lacing or buckles of a shoe at the throat of the vamp b : a movable pin in a buckle c : a metal ball suspended inside a bell so as to strike against the sides as the bell is swung d : the pole (see pole entry 1 sense 1b) of a vehicle (such as a wagon) 7 a : the rib on one edge of a board that fits into a corresponding groove in an edge of another board to make a flush joint b : feather sense 4 8 : a long narrow strip of land projecting into a body of water tonguelike ˈtəŋ-ˌlīk adjective tongue 2 of 2 verb tongued; tonguing ˈtəŋ-iŋ ; tongues 1 transitive + intransitive, music : to articulate (notes on a wind instrument) by successively interrupting the stream of wind with the action of the tongue Playing [the bugle] and tonguing the note and making it come out exactly spot-on, that takes a technique and a skill.—Bethann Dixon 2 transitive : to touch or lick (something) with the tongue cows tonguing the long grass 3 transitive, carpentry a : to cut a tongue on tongue a board b : to join (parts, such as boards) by means of a tongue and groove tongue flooring together 4 transitive, archaic : scold entry 1 Synonyms Noun language lingo mother tongue speech vocabulary See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Noun The cow ran its tongue over its lips. The taste of the spice was still on her tongue. The little girl stuck her tongue out at me. He spoke in a foreign tongue. English is my native tongue. They speak the same tongue. His sharp tongue is going to get him into trouble someday. Verb learning how to tongue notes on the clarinet See More Recent Examples on the Web Noun The tongue grows dry, saliva spatters, the lips crack. —Han Kang, The New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2023 Dysphagia involves several changes to the patient's mouth as a result of brain atrophy, including a decrease in tongue strength as well as saliva production. —Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 27 Jan. 2023 The crunchy vegetable was served over a slather of creamy black sesame tahini and topped with tongue-tickling Calabrian chili vinaigrette. —Elazar Sontag, Bon Appétit, 27 Jan. 2023 The kelly green heel and tongue accent will add just enough lucky pigment to any casual ensemble. —Rebecca Norris, Woman's Day, 26 Jan. 2023 Egyptian embalmers placed amulets to protect and provide vitality for the body in the afterlife, and a gold tongue amulet was placed inside the mouth to ensure the deceased could speak in the afterlife. —Charlene Gubash, NBC News, 24 Jan. 2023 Diplo then dips his testicles in his margarita and drinks it, and Madonna fulfills a dare to tongue kiss Jack Black. —Brendan Morrow, The Week, 17 Jan. 2023 Wood died of tongue cancer in September, seven months after her February diagnosis. —Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 13 Jan. 2023 Sarkar’s research uses a mechanical tongue, bathed in artificial saliva, as a way to simulate what happens as food moves through the mouth and how that influences the sensory experience of eating. —Chris Gorski, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2023 Verb An old lady lifts her skirts and orders a man to tongue her in the presence of an appreciative group that includes her own son; a kindly prostitute marks Tiller’s forehead with her menstrual blood. —Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 8 Feb. 2021 Holy smokes, how much is your Rolling Stones tongue artwork worth?$150,000. —Matt Wake \| Mwake@al.com, al, 11 Feb. 2020 Set in Ohio and based on Celeste Ng’s 2017 bestseller of the same name, Little Fires Everywhere follows the story of the Richardson family, helmed by picture-perfect and silver-tongued matriarch Elena. —Sara Delgado, Teen Vogue, 20 Feb. 2020 Behind them, looks like Kevan Miller and his wife Haley seem to have gone as Gene and Ace from Kiss, tongues out and ready to rock and roll all night. —BostonGlobe.com, 31 Oct. 2019 Wale, meanwhile, plays the fiery, silver-tongued Orisha named Chango, an important link to Shadow’s unexplored past. —Nick Romano, EW.com, 21 Nov. 2019 But along came demure Linda, delicately crashing onto the presidential campaign press bus; then entered bulldozer Nina, with major scoops on Douglas Ginsberg and Anita Hill; and in came tart-tongued Cokie with her savvy Congressional reporting. —BostonGlobe.com, 18 Sep. 2019 In Semple’s depiction, Bernadette is more than just crabby and eloquently viper-tongued; she’s possessed by a sociopolitical bitterness, as well. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2019 The poison-tongued potty mouth crashed Stephen Colbert’s monologue Tuesday night and directed his brash brand of comedy at Colbert, late-night and, of course, President Trump. —Libby Hill, latimes.com, 16 May 2018 See More Word History Etymology Noun Middle English tunge, from Old English; akin to Old High German zunga tongue, Latin lingua First Known Use Noun before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Verb 14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4 Phrases Containing tongue a slip of the tongue adder's-tongue cat got your tongue bull tongue bite one's tongue hold one's tongue keep a civil tongue hound's-tongue click one's tongue give tongue forked tongue get one's tongue around double-tongue loosen someone's tongue loose tongue mind one's tongue/language mother tongue on the tip of one's tongue speak/talk with (a) forked tongue roll/trip off the tongue (the) cat has someone's tongue tongue and groove tongue in cheek tongue-lash tongue-tied tongue twister tongue-tie triple-tongue watch one's tongue watch one's language/mouth/tongue with (one's) tongue in (one's) cheek a sharp tongue tongue depressor See More a slip of the tongue adder's-tongue cat got your tongue bull tongue bite one's tongue hold one's tongue keep a civil tongue hound's-tongue click one's tongue give tongue forked tongue get one's tongue around double-tongue loosen someone's tongue loose tongue mind one's tongue/language mother tongue on the tip of one's tongue speak/talk with (a) forked tongue roll/trip off the tongue (the) cat has someone's tongue tongue and groove tongue in cheek tongue-lash tongue-tied tongue twister tongue-tie triple-tongue watch one's tongue watch one's language/mouth/tongue with (one's) tongue in (one's) cheek a sharp tongue tongue depressor See More Kids Definition tongue 1 of 2 noun ˈtəŋ 1 : a fleshy movable muscular part of the floor of the mouth of most vertebrates that has sensory organs (as taste buds) and small glands and functions especially in taking and swallowing food and in human beings as a speech organ 2 : the flesh of a tongue (as of beef) used as food 3 : the power of communication : speech 4 : language sense 1a 5 : something resembling a tongue (as in being long and fastened at one end) tongueless -ləs adjective tonguelike -ˌlīk adjective tongue 2 of 2 verb tongued; tonguing ˈtəŋ-iŋ 1 : to touch or lick with or as if with the tongue 2 : to separate individual notes when playing a wind instrument by interrupting the stream of wind with the tongue Medical Definition tongue noun ˈtəŋ : a process of the floor of the mouth that is attached basally to the hyoid bone, that consists essentially of a mass of extrinsic muscle attaching its base to other parts, intrinsic muscle by which parts of the structure move in relation to each other, and an epithelial covering rich in sensory end organs and small glands, and that functions especially in taking and swallowing food and as a speech organ Geographical Definition Tongue geographical name ˈtəŋ river 246 miles (396 kilometers) long in northern Wyoming and southern Montana flowing north into the Yellowstone River tongue noun as in language the stock of words, pronunciation, and grammar used by a people as their basic means of communication he spoke in a tongue that I didn't understand Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance language vocabulary dialect idiom mother tongue speech terminology lingo slang vernacular colloquial pidgin patois colloquialism idiolect jargon argot slanguage patter regionalism parlance coinage localism neologism modernism vernacularism cant shibboleth provincialism acrolect Phrases Containing tongue mother tongue hold one's tongue mother tongue hold one's tongue
随便看	poh poha Pohang pohl Pohnpei Pohnpeian pohnpeians pohs pohutukawa poi poictiers poid poignance poignances poignancies poignancy poignant poignanter poignantest poignantlier poignantliest poignantly poignard poikil- poikilitic

tongue

noun

verb

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing tongue

Kids Definition

Medical Definition

Geographical Definition

geographical name

noun

Phrases Containing tongue