cheek

American  

[cheek] / tʃik /

noun

1. either side of the face below the eye and above the jaw.

2. the side wall of the mouth between the upper and lower jaws.

3. 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.

4. impudence or effrontery.

   He's got a lot of cheek to say that to me!

   Synonyms:

   gall, brass, audacity, nerve

5. Slang. either of the buttocks.

6. Architecture.

   1. one side of an opening, as a reveal.

   2. either of two similar faces of a projection, as a buttress or dormer.

7. Carpentry.

   1. a piece of wood removed from the end of a timber in making a tenon.

   2. a piece of wood on either side of a mortise.

8. one side of a hammer head.

9. 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.

10. one of the two main vertical supports forming the frame of a hand printing press.

11. Machinery. either of the sides of a pulley or block.

12. 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.

13. Metallurgy. any part of a flask between the cope and the drag.

---

idioms

1. (with) tongue in cheek. tongue.

2. cheek by jowl, in close intimacy; side by side.

   a row of houses cheek by jowl.

cheek British  

/ tʃiːk /

noun

1. 1. either side of the face, esp that part below the eye

   2. either side of the oral cavity; side of the mouth

2. informal impudence; effrontery

3. informal (often plural) either side of the buttocks

4. (often plural) a side of a door jamb

5. nautical one of the two fore-and-aft supports for the trestletrees on a mast of a sailing vessel, forming part of the hounds

6. one of the jaws of a vice

7. close together; intimately linked

8. to be submissive and refuse to retaliate even when provoked or treated badly

9. See tongue

---

verb

1. informal (tr) to speak or behave disrespectfully to; act impudently towards

cheek More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing cheek

• tongue in cheek
• turn the other cheek

---

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

If a serpent’s prey happens to have seeds in their cheeks, “they will disperse those seeds, acting as nature’s gardeners, pooping out the seeds in a little pile of fertilizer,” Taylor said.

From Los Angeles Times

There were also issues before the World Athletics Championships when a group of Canadian athletes had to be retested after a reported 'test-tube error' meant their cheek swabs failed to comply with requirements.

From BBC

“Why?” he asks, turning toward me, and I feel his breath on my cheek.

From Literature

I suck in my cheeks at the sight.

From Literature

The other was half the size—a child with soft cheeks, red shoes, and a rope of auburn hair.

From Literature

Related Words

• lip