cheek
Americannoun
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either side of the face below the eye and above the jaw.
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the side wall of the mouth between the upper and lower jaws.
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something resembling the side of the human face in form or position, as either of two parts forming corresponding sides of various objects.
the cheeks of a vise.
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impudence or effrontery.
He's got a lot of cheek to say that to me!
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Slang. either of the buttocks.
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Architecture.
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one side of an opening, as a reveal.
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either of two similar faces of a projection, as a buttress or dormer.
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Carpentry.
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a piece of wood removed from the end of a timber in making a tenon.
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a piece of wood on either side of a mortise.
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one side of a hammer head.
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Horology. one of two pieces placed on both sides of the suspension spring of a pendulum to control the amplitude of oscillation or to give the arc of the pendulum a cycloidal form.
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one of the two main vertical supports forming the frame of a hand printing press.
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Machinery. either of the sides of a pulley or block.
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Nautical. either of a pair of fore-and-aft members at the lower end of the head of a lower mast, used to support trestletrees which in turn support a top and often the heel of a topmast; one of the hounds of a lower mast.
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Metallurgy. any part of a flask between the cope and the drag.
idioms
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(with) tongue in cheek. tongue.
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cheek by jowl, in close intimacy; side by side.
a row of houses cheek by jowl.
noun
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either side of the face, esp that part below the eye
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either side of the oral cavity; side of the mouth
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informal impudence; effrontery
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informal (often plural) either side of the buttocks
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(often plural) a side of a door jamb
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nautical one of the two fore-and-aft supports for the trestletrees on a mast of a sailing vessel, forming part of the hounds
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one of the jaws of a vice
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close together; intimately linked
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to be submissive and refuse to retaliate even when provoked or treated badly
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See tongue
verb
Other Word Forms
- cheekless adjective
Etymology
Origin of cheek
before 900; Middle English cheke, Old English cē ( a ) ce; akin to Dutch kaak, Middle Low German kake
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Later this spring, the affiliate says it plans to offer dermal fillers that add volume to body parts such as lips and cheeks.
“Every single day I was on it, all day long,” the Chico, Calif., woman said Thursday, her voice tremulous and her cheeks flushed to the color of her rose maxi dress.
From Los Angeles Times
Shifting the jawbreaker from one cheek to the other, I leaned back and said, “Grandpa, you were going to tell me how we’re going to catch those monkeys.”
From Literature
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I saw her bite her cheeks to keep in a laugh.
From Literature
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"I wouldn't have been worried if I had one bum cheek dragging on the floor. I didn't care at that point, I just wanted to go home," she said.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.