- tongue
- I UK [tʌŋ] / US
noun
Word forms "tongue":
singular tongue plural tongues
**
1) [countable] the long soft piece of flesh fixed to the bottom of your mouth that you use for tasting, speaking etcI burnt my tongue on the hot coffee.
2) [countable] mainly literary a languageyour native tongue:a foreign tongue:English was clearly not his native tongue.
They were speaking in some foreign tongue.
See:3) [singular] a particular way of speaking or writinga sharp tongue (= a severe and unkind way of speaking to people):a silver tongue (= an ability to talk well and persuade people):She has a rather sharp tongue.
I hope you've not allowed yourself to be persuaded by Laura's silver tongue.
4) [countable/uncountable] the tongue of an animal cooked and eaten as food5) [countable] a long thin piece of material that lies under the part of a shoe or boot where you fasten it6) [singular] mainly literary something that looks like or moves like a tonguetongue of:a tongue of flame/fire
7) [countable] a long narrow piece of land that continues out into a sea, lake etc•lost your tongue?
— spoken used for asking someone why they are not saying anything, especially when they usually say what they thinkroll/trip/slip off the tongue
— to be easy to pronounceIt's not exactly a name that rolls off the tongue.
stick your tongue out (at someone)
— to move your tongue quickly out of your mouth as an insultwith (your) tongue in (your) cheek
— if you write or say something with tongue in cheek, you intend it to be humorous and do not mean it seriouslyI suspect he wrote that with tongue in cheek.
See:
II UK [tʌŋ] / US verb
Word forms "tongue":
present tense I/you/we/they tongue he/she/it tongues present participle tonguing past tense tongued past participle tongued1) [intransitive/transitive] music to produce a musical note on a wind instrument by using your tongue to prevent air from flowing through it for a short time2) [transitive] to touch someone or something with your tongue, especially in order to make them sexually excited
English dictionary. 2014.