tongue

noun

/tʌŋ/

Idioms

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[countable] the soft part in the mouth that moves around, used for tasting, swallowing, speaking, etc.
- He clicked his tongue to attract their attention.
- She ran her tongue over her lips.
- It's very rude to stick your tongue out at people.
Extra Examples
- The dog lay in a patch of shade with its tongue hanging out.
- The snake's tongue flicked out of its mouth.
Topics Bodyb1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- long
- forked
- loose
- …
verb + tongue
- poke out
- put out
- stick out
- …
tongue + verb
- hang out
- flick
- flicker
- …
tongue + noun
- piercing
phrases
- a slip of the tongue
- be on the tip of your tongue
- get your tongue around something
- …
See full entry
[uncountable, countable] the tongue of some animals, cooked and eaten
- a slice of ox tongue
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- long
- forked
- loose
- …
verb + tongue
- poke out
- put out
- stick out
- …
tongue + verb
- hang out
- flick
- flicker
- …
tongue + noun
- piercing
phrases
- a slip of the tongue
- be on the tip of your tongue
- get your tongue around something
- …
See full entry
[countable] (formal or literary) a language
- None of the tribes speak the same tongue.
- I tried speaking to her in her native tongue.
see also mother tongue
Extra Examples
- The market place was full of people speaking many strange tongues.
- She could hear men whispering in a foreign tongue.
- She speaks English and Danish, though her native tongue is German.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- mother
- native
- common
- …
verb + tongue
- speak
preposition
- in a/the tongue
phrases
- speak in tongues
See full entry
[singular] a particular way of speaking
- He has a sharp tongue.
- (formal) I'll thank you to keep a civil tongue in your head (= speak politely).
see also silver tongue
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- long
- forked
- loose
- …
verb + tongue
- poke out
- put out
- stick out
- …
tongue + verb
- hang out
- flick
- flicker
- …
tongue + noun
- piercing
phrases
- a slip of the tongue
- be on the tip of your tongue
- get your tongue around something
- …
See full entry
-tongued
(in adjectives) speaking in the way mentioned
- sharp-tongued
enlarge image
[countable] a long, narrow piece of leather under the laces on a shoeTopics Clothes and Fashionc2
[countable] tongue (of something) (literary) something that is long and narrow and like a tongue in shape
- a tongue of flame

Word OriginOld English tunge, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch tong, German Zunge, and Latin lingua.

Idioms

bite your tongue

to stop yourself from saying something that might upset somebody or cause an argument, although you want to speak
- I didn't believe her explanation but I bit my tongue.
Topics Opinion and argumentc2

(has the) cat got your tongue?

(informal) said to somebody, especially a child, who stays silent when expected to speak, for example after being asked a question
- What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?

find your voice/tongue

to be able to speak or express your opinionTopics Opinion and argumentc2

get your tongue around/round something

to pronounce a difficult word correctly
- He was having trouble getting his tongue around my name.

have a loose tongue

to talk too much, especially about things that are private

hold your tongue/peace

(old-fashioned) to say nothing although you would like to give your opinion

loosen somebody’s tongue

to make somebody talk more freely than usual
- A bottle of wine had loosened Harry's tongue.

on the tip of your tongue

if a word or name is on the tip of your tongue, you are sure that you know it but you cannot remember it

roll/slip/trip off the tongue

to be easy to say or pronounce
- It's not a name that exactly trips off the tongue, is it?

set tongues wagging | tongues are wagging

(informal) to cause people to start talking/people are talking about somebody’s private affairs
- His sudden resignation set tongues wagging.
- This is a small island and tongues are beginning to wag.

a slip of the pen/tongue

a small mistake in something that you write or say
- Did I call you Richard? Sorry, Robert, just a slip of the tongue.
- I didn't mean to say that—it was just a slip of the tongue.

watch your mouth/tongue

to be careful what you say in order not to offend somebody or make them angry

with your tongue in your cheek | with tongue in cheek

if you say something with your tongue in your cheek, you are not being serious and mean it as a joke