# cheek by jowl

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/cheek-by-jowl
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

In very close physical proximity, crowded together.

## Examples

- 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.

## 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. (disputed)

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.