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cheek
[ cheek ]
noun
- either side of the face below the eye and above the jaw.
- the side wall of the mouth between the upper and lower jaws.
- 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.
- impudence or effrontery:
He's got a lot of cheek to say that to me!
- Slang. either of the buttocks.
- Architecture.
- one side of an opening, as a reveal.
- either of two similar faces of a projection, as a buttress or dormer.
- Carpentry.
- a piece of wood removed from the end of a timber in making a tenon.
- a piece of wood on either side of a mortise.
- one side of a hammer head.
- 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.
- one of the two main vertical supports forming the frame of a hand printing press.
- Machinery. either of the sides of a pulley or block.
- 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. Compare hound 2( def 1 ).
- Metallurgy. any part of a flask between the cope and the drag.
cheek
/ tʃiːk /
noun
- either side of the face, esp that part below the eye
- either side of the oral cavity; side of the mouth buccalgenalmalar
- informal.impudence; effrontery
- informal.often plural either side of the buttocks
- often plural a side of a door jamb
- nautical one of the two fore-and-aft supports for the trestletrees on a mast of a sailing vessel, forming part of the hounds
- one of the jaws of a vice
- cheek by jowlcheek by jowl close together; intimately linked
- turn the other cheekturn the other cheek to be submissive and refuse to retaliate even when provoked or treated badly
- See tonguewith one's tongue in one's cheekwith one's tongue in one's cheek See tongue
verb
- informal.tr to speak or behave disrespectfully to; act impudently towards
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Derived Forms
- ˈcheekless, adjective
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Other Words From
- cheekless adjective
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Word History and Origins
Origin of cheek1
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Word History and Origins
Origin of cheek1
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Idioms and Phrases
- cheek by jowl, in close intimacy; side by side:
a row of houses cheek by jowl.
- (with) tongue in cheek. tongue ( def 37 ).
More idioms and phrases containing cheek
In addition to the idiom beginning with cheek , also see tongue in cheek ; turn the other cheek .Discover More
Example Sentences
“The lies of the government shocked us,” says Fatima, as the tears flow slowly from her eyes and down her cheek.
Scrutinizing the lines on your face, she strokes your cheek and asks if your boss is working you too hard.
Bakari reaches out, strokes Bundy's cheek and stares into his eyes longingly.
However, I spent enough time with him and other players to witness moments, comments and actions that were not so tongue-in-cheek.
But Tony Bennett will get a free pass on his latest release, Cheek to Cheek.
Do not the widow's tears run down the cheek, and her cry against him that causeth them to fall?
He has told me that their society produced on him the effect of the cool hands of saints against his cheek.
A lurid spot on each cheek showed burning red through the bronze of his skin.
A burning crimson flushed over the cheek of Wharton, as Louis uttered this ardent appeal to friendship and to Heaven.
As he stepped forward to salute her, she presented her cheek to him, and suddenly stabbed him dead at her feet.
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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.
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