the teeth

word building
A dentist is a person whose job is to look after teeth. If a tooth is bad, the dentist may fill it (= put a substance in the hole) or take it out. People who have lost their own teeth can wear false teeth.

2 one of the long narrow pointed parts of an object such as a comb (= an object that you use for making your hair tidy)

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

tooth

tooth S2 W2 /tuːθ/ BrE AmE noun (plural teeth /tiːθ/) [countable]
[Language: Old English; Origin: toth]
1. IN MOUTH one of the hard white objects in your mouth that you use to bite and eat food:
Sugar is bad for your teeth. ⇨ ↑baby tooth, ⇨ canine tooth at ↑canine2(1), ⇨ ↑eye tooth(2), ↑milk tooth, ↑wisdom tooth, ↑buck teeth, ↑false teeth, ↑gap-toothed
2. ON A TOOL ETC one of the sharp or pointed parts that sticks out from the edge of a comb or ↑saw
3. POWER have teeth if a law or an organization has teeth, it has the power to force people to obey it:
We need an Environment Agency that really has teeth.
4. fight tooth and nail to try with a lot of effort or determination to do something:
We fought tooth and nail to get these plans accepted.
5. get your teeth into something informal to start to do something with a lot of energy and determination:
I can’t wait to get my teeth into the new course.
6. in the teeth of something in spite of opposition or danger from something:
Permission for the development was granted in the teeth of opposition from local shopkeepers.
7. set sb’s teeth on edge if a sound or taste sets your teeth on edge, it gives you an uncomfortable feeling in your mouth:
a horrible scraping sound that set my teeth on edge
⇨ armed to the teeth at ↑armed(1), ⇨ cut your teeth on something at ↑cut1(23), ⇨ by the skin of your teeth at ↑skin1(9), ⇨ be a kick in the teeth at ↑kick2(5), ⇨ lie through your teeth at ↑lie2(1), ⇨ have a sweet tooth at ↑sweet1(7), ⇨ take the bit between your teeth at ↑bit2(9)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ brush your teeth (also clean your teeth British English) I brush my teeth twice a day.
▪ floss your teeth (=clean between your teeth using dental floss) My dentist said I should floss my teeth more.
▪ have a tooth out British English, have a tooth pulled American English (=have a tooth removed) He's gone to the dentist to have a tooth out.
▪ lose a tooth (=no longer have it) Many of the men had lost all their teeth by the age of 40.
▪ extract a tooth (=take it out) The dentist announced that she would have to extract two teeth.
▪ bare your teeth (=show them, especially in an angry or threatening way) The dog bared its teeth and snarled.
▪ grit/clench your teeth (=put them firmly together) He was gritting his teeth against the pain.
▪ grind your teeth (also gnash your teeth literary) (=move them against each other because you are angry) Kate ground her teeth in helpless rage.
▪ sink your teeth into something (=put your teeth into someone's flesh, into food etc) The dog sank its teeth into the boy's hand.
▪ somebody's teeth chatter (=hit together quickly because someone is cold or afraid) My teeth began to chatter, and I regretted leaving my jacket behind.
▪ be cutting a tooth (=have one of your first teeth growing) Poor little Patrick was cutting another tooth and we had hardly had any sleep.
■ adjectives
▪ somebody's front/back teeth Some of his front teeth were missing.
▪ white/yellow His teeth were white and even.
▪ sharp The fish has small but very sharp teeth.
▪ good/perfect She smiled, showing a mouthful of perfect teeth.
▪ bad/rotten She felt ashamed of her bad teeth and rarely smiled.
▪ even (=all of the same height ) His teeth were white and even.
▪ crooked He grinned at me, showing rotten, crooked teeth.
▪ loose I had a loose tooth.
■ tooth + noun
▪ tooth decay Brushing regularly helps prevent tooth decay.
■ COMMON ERRORS
► Do not say 'wash your teeth'. Say brush your teeth or clean your teeth.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

teeth

teeth [teeth] [tiːθ] ; [tiːθ]

pl. of tooth

tooth

tooth [tooth teeth] [tuːθ] [tuːθ] noun (pl. teeth [tiːθ] ; [tiːθ] )

1. any of the hard white structures in the mouth used for biting and chewing food

• I've just had a tooth out at the dentist's.

• to brush/clean your teeth

• tooth decay

• She answered through clenched teeth (= opening her mouth only a little because of anger).

• The cat sank its teeth into his finger.

see also buck teeth, false teeth, milk tooth, wisdom tooth

2. a narrow pointed part that sticks out of an object

• the teeth on a saw

• The teeth of the cog should fit into these grooves.

see also fine-tooth comb

more at armed to the teeth at armed v., bare your teeth at bare v., get the bit between your teeth at bit, an eye for an eye (and a tooth for a tooth) at eye n., give your eye teeth for sth at eye teeth, fight tooth and nail at fight v., gnash your teeth at gnash, grit your teeth at grit v., Hell's teeth at hell, kick sb in the teeth at kick v., a kick in the teeth at kick n., lie through your teeth at lie2 v., long in the tooth at long adj., red in tooth and claw at red adj., by the skin of your teeth at skin n., have a sweet tooth at sweet adj.

Idioms: cut a tooth ▪ cut your teeth on something ▪ get your teeth into something ▪ have teeth ▪ in the teeth of something ▪ set somebody's teeth on edge

Word Origin:

Old English tōth (plural tēth), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch tand and German Zahn, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin dent-, Greek odont-.

Collocations:

Physical appearance

A person may be described as having:

Eyes

(bright) blue/green/(dark/light) brown/hazel eyes

deep-set/sunken/bulging/protruding eyes

small/beady/sparkling/twinkling/(informal) shifty eyes

piercing/penetrating/steely eyes

bloodshot/watery/puffy eyes

bushy/thick/dark/raised/arched eyebrows

long/dark/thick/curly/false eyelashes/lashes

Face

a flat/bulbous/pointed/sharp/snub nose

a straight/a hooked/a Roman/(formal) an aquiline nose

full/thick/thin/pouty lips

dry/chapped/cracked lips

flushed/rosy/red/ruddy/pale cheeks

soft/chubby/sunken cheeks

white/perfect/crooked/protruding teeth

a large/high/broad/wide/sloping forehead

a strong/weak/pointed/double chin

a long/full/bushy/wispy/goatee beard

a long/thin/bushy/droopy/handlebar/pencil moustache/ (especially US) mustache

Hair and skin

pale/fair/olive/dark/tanned skin

dry/oily/smooth/rough/leathery/wrinkled skin

a dark/pale/light/sallow/ruddy/olive/swarthy/clear complexion

deep/fine/little/facial wrinkles

blonde/blond/fair/(light/dark) brown/(jet-)black/auburn/red/(BrE) ginger/grey hair

straight/curly/wavy/frizzy/spiky hair

thick/thin/fine/bushy/thinning hair

dyed/bleached/soft/silky/dry/greasy/shiny hair

long/short/shoulder-length/cropped hair

a bald/balding/shaved head

a receding hairline

a bald patch/spot

a side/centre/(US) center (BrE) parting/ (NAmE) part

Body

a long/short/thick/slender/(disapproving) scrawny neck

broad/narrow/sloping/rounded/hunched shoulders

a bare/broad/muscular/small/large chest

a flat/swollen/bulging stomach

a small/tiny/narrow/slim/slender/28-inch waist

big/wide/narrow/slim hips

a straight/bent/arched/broad/hairy back

thin/slender/muscular arms

big/large/small/manicured/calloused/gloved hands

long/short/fat/slender/delicate/bony fingers

long/muscular/hairy/shapely/(both informal, often disapproving) skinny/spindly legs

muscular/chubby/(informal, disapproving) flabby thighs

big/little/small/dainty/wide/narrow/bare feet

a good/a slim/a slender/an hourglass figure

be of slim/medium/average/large/athletic/stocky build

Example Bank:

• Alan hissed from behind his clenched teeth.

• Billy's first tooth is now through.

• Does the tooth fairy really exist?

• He broke off what he was saying, clamping his teeth together.

• He clashed the spoon against his teeth as he ate.

• Her smile showed crooked teeth.

• Her teeth flashed as she smiled.

• His pipe was firmly clamped between his teeth.

• I lost three teeth in the fight.

• I still have one of my baby teeth.

• I used to be self-conscious of my prominent teeth.

• Mink have razor-sharp teeth.

• She answered the phone with a cigarette between her teeth.

• She answered through clenched teeth.

• She wore a brace to correct her gappy teeth.

• Skyscrapers rose like jagged teeth.

• Sugar rots your teeth.

• The baby's crying because he's cutting a new tooth.

• The cat came in with a mouse in its teeth.

• The cat left teeth marks in my arm.

• The dog bared its teeth at us and growled.

• The man smiled, revealing perfect white teeth.

• Their teeth were chattering with cold.

• a reporter who cut her teeth working in Soweto

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

teeth

teeth (AGAINST) /tiːθ/
plural noun
in the teeth of sth If something happens or is done in the teeth of difficulties, the difficulties cause problems but do not stop it:
The road was built in the teeth of fierce opposition from the public.

teeth (POWER) /tiːθ/
plural noun
effective force or power:
This committee can make recommendations but it has no real teeth.

teeth (TOOTH) /tiːθ/

plural of tooth

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

tooth

/tu:θ/
(teeth)

Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.

1.
Your teeth are the hard white objects in your mouth, which you use for biting and chewing.
If a tooth feels very loose, your dentist may recommend that it’s taken out.
N-COUNT: oft poss N

2.
The teeth of something such as a comb, saw, cog, or zip are the parts that stick out in a row on its edge.
N-PLURAL

3.
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.
N-PLURAL

4.
see also wisdom tooth

5.
If you say that someone cut their teeth doing a particular thing, at a particular time, or in a particular place, you mean that that is how, when, or where they began their career and learned some of their skills.
...director John Glen, who cut his teeth on Bond movies...
PHRASE: V inflects, PHR prep, PHR -ing

6.
If you say that something sets your teeth on edge, you mean that you find it extremely unpleasant or irritating.
Their voices set your teeth on edge.
PHRASE: V inflects

7.
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.
He fought tooth and nail to keep his job...
PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR to-inf

8.
If you describe a task or activity as something you can get your teeth into, you mean that you like it because it is interesting, complex, and makes you think hard. (INFORMAL)
This role gave her something to get her teeth into...
PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR n [approval]

9.
If you do something in the teeth of a difficulty or danger, you do it in spite of the difficulty or danger.
I was battling my way along the promenade in the teeth of a force ten gale...
In the teeth of the longest recession since the 1930s, the company continues to perform well.
PHRASE: PHR n

10.
If you say that someone is lying through their teeth, you are emphasizing that they are telling lies. (INFORMAL)
PHRASE: V inflects [emphasis]

11.
If you describe someone as long in the tooth, you are saying unkindly or humorously that they are old or getting old. (INFORMAL)
Aren’t I a bit long in the tooth to start being an undergraduate?
PHRASE: v-link PHR [disapproval]

12.
If you have a sweet tooth, you like sweet food very much.
PHRASE: usu PHR after v

13.
to get the bit between your teeth: see bit
to give one’s eye teeth for something: see eye
to gnash one’s teeth: see gnash
to grit your teeth: see grit
a kick in the teeth: see kick
by the skin of your teeth: see skin

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary:

tooth

tooth /ˈtuːɵ/ noun, pl teeth /ˈtiːɵ/
1 [count] : one of the hard white objects inside the mouth that are used for biting and chewing
• The dentist will have to pull that tooth.
• You should brush/clean your teeth every morning and night.
• She clenched her teeth in anger.
• He has a set of false teeth.
• a loose tooth
• tooth decay
• She sank her teeth into [=bit] the apple.
- see picture at mouth; see also baby tooth, buck teeth, eyetooth, milk tooth, sweet tooth, wisdom tooth
2 [count] : a sharp or pointed object that sticks out of something and is part of a row of similar objects
• the teeth of a saw/comb
3 teeth [plural] : the power that makes something effective
• drug laws with teeth
• The labor union showed that it has teeth.
a kick in the teeth
- see ²kick
an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth
- see ¹eye
by the skin of your teeth
- see ¹skin
cut a tooth, cut your teeth
- see ¹cut
fly in the teeth of
- see ¹fly
get/take the bit between your teeth
- see ²bit
get your teeth into or chiefly US sink your teeth into : to become fully involved in (something, such as a new activity) : to do or deal with (something) with a lot of energy, interest, etc.
• He finally has a project he can get his teeth into.
grit your teeth
- see ²grit
in the teeth of
1 or into the teeth of : directly against (a strong wind, storm, etc.)
• They sailed in/into the teeth of the wind.
2 : despite (something)
• A shopping mall was built in the teeth of fierce opposition.
like pulling teeth
- used to say that something is very difficult and frustrating
• Getting him to make a decision is like pulling teeth. [=it is very hard to get him to make a decision]
long in the tooth informal : no longer young : old
• Isn't she a little long in the tooth for those kinds of antics?
set your teeth on edge
✦If a sound, taste, etc., sets your teeth on edge, it makes your body feel tense or uncomfortable.
• That awful squeaking is enough to set my teeth on edge!
tooth and nail : with a lot of effort and determination
• They fought tooth and nail.
to the teeth : fully or completely
• The men were armed to the teeth. [=the men had a lot of weapons]