jawbone

[ jaw-bohn ]

noun

1. a bone of either jaw; a maxilla or mandible.
2. the bone of the lower jaw; mandible.

verb (used with or without object)

, jaw·boned, jaw·bon·ing.

1. Informal. to attempt to influence or pressure by persuasion rather than by the exertion of force or one's authority, as in urging voluntary compliance with economic guidelines:

   The president jawboned the steel industry into postponing price increases.

adjective

1. Informal. obtained by or resorting to such a practice:

   jawbone controls.

jawbone

/ ˈdʒɔːˌbəʊn /

noun

1. a nontechnical name for mandible maxilla

verb

1. to try to persuade or bring pressure to bear (on) by virtue of one's high office or position, esp in urging compliance with official policy

Other Words From

• jawboning noun adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of jawbone¹

First recorded in 1480–90; jaw ¹ + bone

Example Sentences

Forensic genealogists solve a 21-year-old case, linking a jawbone to a U.S.

From Los Angeles Times

A jawbone found in a child’s rock collection in Arizona more than two decades ago belonged to a Marine who died in California in 1951 and was buried in Missouri, the authorities said on Friday.

From New York Times

Father and daughter, Justin and Ruby Reynolds from Braunton, Devon, found the first pieces of the second jawbone to be found in May 2020, while searching for fossils on the beach at Blue Anchor, Somerset.

From Science Daily

Its fossilised jawbone was found in 2016 by a fossil hunter on a Somerset beach.

From BBC

There was also evidence of an evolutionary connection between the extramandibular fat and the masseter muscle, which in humans connects the lower jawbone to the cheekbones and is a key muscle involved in chewing.

From Science Daily