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cheek definition

cheek (c̸hēk)

noun

  1. either side of the face between the nose and ear, below the eye
  2. either of two sides of a thing, as the sides of a door jamb or the jaws of a vise: usually used in pl.
  3. either of the buttocks
  4. Informal disrespectful boldness; sauciness; effrontery; impudence

Etymology: ME cheke < OE ceoke, jaw, jawbone; akin to Du kaak, LowG kâke, jaw (only WGmc)

transitive verb

Brit., Informal to speak insolently to
cheek Idioms

cheek by jowl

close together; intimately

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms cheek idiom

medical cheek definition - medical

cheek Synonyms

cheek

n.

  1. Either side of the face

    jowl, gill, chop*; see face 1.

  2. *Insolence

    impertinence, impudence, disrespect; see rudeness, temerity. See syn. study at temerity.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

cheek Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • flush: Maroon is the color of burgundy wines and flushed cheeks and smacked bottoms and port and gout and winter uniforms.

Adjective modifier

  • bare-faced: Llewellyn's disappearance, Cathy's extra brownie points, George's secret URL and Danny's bare-faced cheek.

Modifies a noun

  • pouch: They posses cheek pouches which can carry food whilst they are foraging.

Noun used with modifier

  • ass: My knuckles were white and my ass cheeks clenched tight, Kim laughed and the Nepali raft guides slept their hang overs off.

Possessives

  • pig: My biggest pleasure is when I see a girl tucking into pig's cheeks.

Preposition: by

  • jowl: They saw some broken-down wooden huts cheek by jowl with a line new electric station.
cheek usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

cheek quotes

Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you,That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

-Bible (NewTestament)

A certain institution in Mr Podsnap's mind which he called 'the young person'may be considered to have been embodied in Miss Podsnap, his daughter†The question about everything was, would it bring a blush into the cheek of the young person?

-Dickens, CharlesJohn Huffam

   We had no use for the teachings of the Gospels: if someone slaps you, just turn the other cheek.We had shown that anyone who slapped us on our cheek would get his head kicked off.

-Khrushchev, Nikita Sergeyevich

cheek quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"cheek." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/cheek>

APA Style

cheek. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/cheek

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