tooth fairy

[ tooth fair-ee ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a fairy credited with leaving a child money or a small gift in exchange for a baby tooth that has fallen out and been placed under the child's pillow at night.

Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

A mythical source of bounty, as in So who will finance this venture—the tooth fairy? This expression refers to the fairy credited with leaving money under a child's pillow in place of a baby tooth that has fallen out, a practice popular with American parents since the first half of the 1900s.

Discover More

Example Sentences

And when God and Tinker Bell and the Tooth Fairy intervene, we have beautiful children and perfect lives.

From The Daily Beast

Sarah left saying that the Tooth Fairy should make sure to bring her teeth there.

From The Daily Beast

There was Boggle, the tooth fairy, Sesame Street, family pets, and school plays.

From The Daily Beast

I know that Pierson still truly believes in the Tooth Fairy.

From The Daily Beast

The Project Runway star on the financial (and other) consequences of letting your kids believe in the tooth fairy for too long.

From The Daily Beast

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Browse