cheek

(chēk)
n.

1. The fleshy part of either side of the face below the eye and between the nose and ear.
2. Something resembling the cheek in shape or position.
3. Either of the buttocks.
4. Impertinent boldness: had the cheek to insult his hosts.

tr.v. Informal, cheeked, cheek·ing, cheeks.
To speak impudently to.

idiom:

cheek by jowl

1. Side by side; close together.

[Middle English cheke, from Old English cēace.]

View more Health videos

noun

The state or quality of being impudent or arrogantly self-confident: assumption, audaciousness, audacity, boldness, brashness, brazenness, cheekiness, chutzpah, discourtesy, disrespect, effrontery, face, familiarity, forwardness, gall, impertinence, impudence, impudency, incivility, insolence, nerve, nerviness, overconfidence, pertness, presumptuousness, pushiness, rudeness, sassiness, sauciness. Informal brass, crust, sauce, uppishness, uppityness. See attitude/good attitude/bad attitude/neutral attitude, courtesy/discourtesy.

In addition to the idiom beginning with cheek, also see tongue in cheek; turn the other cheek.

n

Definition: audacity, boldness
Antonyms: humbleness, meekness, timidity

1. A narrow upright face forming the end or side of an architectural or structural member, or one side of an opening.
2. A narrow upright face forming the end or a side of an architectural or structural member.
3. The upright face of one side of an opening.

---

IN BRIEF: The side of the face below the eye. Also: Rudeness or disrespect.

A single tear ran down the child's cheek.

Tutor's tip: When the "sheik" (Arab leader, also spelled "sheikh") referred to her as a "chick" (slang for a girl), the "chic" (elegant, stylish) young woman thought he had a lot of "cheek" (slang for arrogance).

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

sign description: The signer points to his/her cheek.

---

The fleshy portion of either side of the face, forming the sides of the mouth and continuing rostrally to the lips. Attached to alveolar borders of maxillae and mandibles. Called also bucca.

• cleft c. — facial cleft caused by developmental failure of union between the maxillary and primitive frontonasal processes.
• c. pouches — evaginations of the oral cavity extending alongside the head and neck, as far as the scapulae, in hamsters. Used to transport food. In experimental studies tissues in these pouches demonstrate immunologial tolerance to grafted tissues.
• c. swelling — caused usually by osteomyelitis of the jaw bones, local neoplasia, packing of food in a chronically malfunctioning cheek or a large foreign body stuck in the cheek space.
• c. teeth — molars and premolars.

n

A fleshy prominence, especially the fleshy protuberances on each side of the face below the eye and between the ear, nose, and mouth.

For a list of words related to cheek, see:

• Head and Neck - cheek: side of face below eye, between nose and ear
• Foolishness, Bunkum, and Trifles

---

See words rhyming with "cheek."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Cheek.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - kind, frækhed, sidestykke
v. tr. - være fræk overfor

idioms:

• cheek by jowl    kind mod kind, side om side
• turn the other cheek    vende den anden kind til

Nederlands (Dutch)
wang, bil, brutaliteit

Français (French)
n. - (Anat) joue, fesse, (GB) impertinence, culot, insolence, (Tech) mâchoire (d'un étau), (Naut) jottereau, branche (d'un harnais)
v. tr. - être insolent envers, dire des impertinences à (qn)

idioms:

• cheek by jowl    côte à côte avec qn
• turn the other cheek    tendre l'autre joue

Deutsch (German)
n. - Backe, Wange, Hinterbacke, Frechheit
v. - frech sein

idioms:

• cheek by jowl    Seite an Seite
• turn the other cheek    die andere Wange hinhalten

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - μάγουλο, παρειά, (καθομ.) αυθάδεια, "γλώσσα", (καθομ.) κωλομάγουλο, κωλομέρι, (ναυτ.) μάσκα
v. - (καθομ.) αυθαδιάζω, βγάζω γλώσσα σε

idioms:

• cheek by jowl    σε συγχρωτισμό, πλάι πλάι
• turn the other cheek    γυρνώ και το άλλο μάγουλο

Italiano (Italian)
guancia, natica, sfacciataggine

idioms:

• cheek by jowl    molto vicino
• turn the other cheek    porgere l'altra guancia

Português (Portuguese)
n. - bochecha (f), audácia (f) (coloq.)
v. - ser impudente, falar descaradamente

idioms:

• cheek by jowl    com muita intimidade
• turn the other cheek    oferecer a outra face

Русский (Russian)
щека, ягодица, наглость

idioms:

• cheek by jowl    бок о бок
• turn the other cheek    подставить другую щеку

Español (Spanish)
n. - mejilla, nalga, descaro, frescura, impertinencia
v. tr. - importunar, hablar en forma impertinente

idioms:

• cheek by jowl    codo con codo, uno junto al otro
• turn the other cheek    dar la otra mejilla

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - kind, fräckhet (bildl. vard.), dörrpost, käft (tekn.)
v. - vara fräck mot (vard.)

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
颊, 脸蛋, 厚颜, 无礼地向...讲话, 对...无礼

idioms:

• cheek by jowl    并肩地, 紧密地
• turn the other cheek    把另一面颊凑上, 甘受侮辱

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 頰, 臉蛋, 厚顏
v. tr. - 無禮地向...講話, 對...無禮

idioms:

• cheek by jowl    並肩地, 緊密地
• turn the other cheek    把另一面頰湊上, 甘受侮辱

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 뺨, 뻔뻔스러움, 기구의 측면
v. tr. - 건방지게 말을 걸다

idioms:

• turn the other cheek    부당한 처우를 얌전히 받다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ほお, 器具の側面, 生意気なことば, 生意気
v. - 生意気に言う

idioms:

• cheek by jowl    密接して, 親しく
• of all the cheek    厚かましい

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) صفاقه, صلافه, خد, وجنه (فعل) توقح على تجرأ‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮לחי, חוצפה, כל אחד משני צדי הישבן‬
v. tr. - ‮התחצף‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.