cheek by jowl
In very close physical proximity, crowded together.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The houses stood cheek by jowl along the narrow street.”
“The fans sit cheek by jowl in the tiny stadium.”
“We live cheek by jowl with our neighbors in this apartment block.”
“In the old part of the city, shops and cafés sit cheek by jowl, making it hard to tell where one ends and another begins.”
“Commuters stand cheek by jowl on the morning train, often forced to balance without holding onto the rails during the busy rush hour.”
“At the summer festival, campers pitch their tents cheek by jowl, leaving very little space for anyone to walk between them.”
“Modern glass skyscrapers now rise cheek by jowl with crumbling brick warehouses, showing how quickly the industrial district is changing into a luxury neighborhood.”
“Cheek by jowl with the grand cathedral, humble market stalls sold their wares, creating a striking contrast between sacred and mundane.”
disputed origin
From cheek + by + jowl (“cheek; jaw”) (or possibly jowl (“fold of fatty flesh under the chin, around the cheeks, or lower jaw; cheek”) or jowl (“(obsolete) head”)), suggesting people so close to each other that the cheek of one person is next to the jowl of another.
Last updated August 10, 2026