teeth

[ teeth ]

noun

1. plural of tooth.

teeth

/ tiːθ /

noun

1. the plural of tooth
2. the most violent part

   the teeth of the gale

3. the power to produce a desired effect

   that law has no teeth

4. by the skin of one's teeth
   See skin
5. get one's teeth into
   to become engrossed in
6. in the teeth of
   in direct opposition to; against

   in the teeth of violent criticism he went ahead with his plan

7. show one's teeth
   to threaten, esp in a defensive manner
8. to the teeth
   to the greatest possible degree

   armed to the teeth

Other Words From

• teethless adjective

Idioms and Phrases

see armed to the teeth ; bare one's teeth ; by the skin of one's teeth ; cut one's teeth on ; fed to the gills (teeth) ; fly in the face (teeth) of ; give one's eyeteeth ; gnash one's teeth ; grit one's teeth ; in the teeth of ; kick in the pants (teeth) ; lie through one's teeth ; like pulling teeth ; scarce as hen's teeth ; set one's teeth on edge ; sink one's teeth into ; to the teeth . Also see under tooth .

Example Sentences

One of them, for example, is responsible for the pigmentation of the maggots' teeth, while another is responsible for the formation of the striped pattern on the fly's abdomen.

From Science Daily

Thanks to fluoridation, the CDC says, “tooth loss is no longer considered inevitable, and increasingly adults in the United States are retaining most of their teeth for a lifetime.”

From Los Angeles Times

The 32-year-old Cortes cut his teeth organizing undocumented youth like himself soon after graduating from Santa Ana High.

From Los Angeles Times

The rending of hair and gnashing of teeth from those who despise Donald Trump continues inside the Beltway and across the country two weeks after his election to a second presidential term.

From Salon

But I think I was so excited to be able to to sink my teeth into something that was that full.

From Los Angeles Times