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mouthful

mouthful

59 1.6
An amount of food or drink you can put in your mouth at once
  • noun
  • /ˈmaʊθfəl/
translation icon : bocado
  • When Pearl brought up a tray of food, she took a few mouthfuls and pushed it aside.

Hugh doesn't do anything, he just finishes his mouthful and then he turns to Charlie and grooms him.

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Examples

  • Damian took a big mouthful of mashed potatoes before answering the question.

  • "Love them," Holly said, forking up a mouthful and chewing the cold, sodden pancakes with enthusiasm.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • You better eat every mouthful of that.

  • A mouthful of water will not harm you, but panic will.

  • "What's in the box?" Max said through a mouthful of pound cake.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • "Should have had something to drink," he mumbled through his mouthful of food, and stepped into the lift.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Reluctantly obedient, Damian took a big mouthful, in a hurry to end the meal.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Gasping, he took in a good mouthful of harbor water and spat it out disgustedly.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Mary Jo waited until Diana had swallowed a mouthful of soup before dropping her bombshell.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • She sipped a mouthful of orange juice while enjoying her breakfast.

Synonyms

taste
vsmouthful
324 1.4

A small sample or short experience of something

refers to the physical mouth volume rather than a tiny sample or test
bite
vsmouthful
302 1.0

A small amount of food eaten quickly

is specifically the quantity that fills the mouth rather than a small portion
sip
vsmouthful
165 1.0

A small amount of a drink taken into the mouth

is any mouth-filling amount of food or drink, not only tiny liquid sips
munch
vsmouthful
48 2.7

A large noisy bite of food you take while chewing

is the neutral measure of mouth volume without loud or eager chewing
spoonful
vsmouthful
26 1.0

An amount of something that fills a spoon

is the mouth capacity rather than the utensil-held amount
a bite of
vsmouthful
25 1.0

A small piece of food taken from a larger serving

focuses on the volume that fills the mouth rather than a portion from a plate
one bite
vsmouthful
20 1.0

A single piece of food you put into your mouth at once

is the full amount that fills the mouth rather than one piece
swallow
vsmouthful
20 1.0

A small amount of food or drink taken into the throat at once

is about the amount sitting in the mouth before swallowing
bolus
vsmouthful
  • Specialized
9 8.5

A small rounded lump of chewed food ready to be swallowed

is the immediate mouth volume rather than a prepared mass for swallowing
forkful
vsmouthful
3 2.1

An amount of food that fits on a fork

is the amount that naturally fills the mouth rather than what fits a fork
gollop
vsmouthful
  • UK
9.9

A large mouthful of food or drink taken quickly

denotes the ordinary mouth volume, not the hurried or greedy manner
cheekful
vsmouthful
  • Archaic
7.9

A mouthful of food or drink held in one cheek

is the total amount filling the mouth rather than a single cheek

Idioms

4 7.7

A long word or phrase that is hard to say

8.9

Speech that sounds unclear as if something is in the mouth

How Much

cupful
2 1.7
handful
81 1.0
mouthful
59 1.6
sip
165 1.0
drop
349 1.0

Surface Forms

mouthful singular
mouthfuls plural

Morphology

mouthful = mouth (transparent) = mouth + ful

A direct, productive noun formation from 'mouth' with '-ful' meaning an amount that fills the mouth.

Etymology

Mouthful is made from two simple words, mouth ('the opening you eat with') and full ('filled'). It means an amount that fills your mouth, so we use it for one big bite or one long sip.