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REFERENCE

cheek

n. C / U
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˈtʃik// UK //tʃˈiːk// cheek General-service Informal

n. the soft part of your face below your eye. It can also mean being slightly rude in a way that is funny or annoying.

n. the fleshy side of the face below the eye and above the jaw. In a figurative sense, it refers to impertinent or disrespectful speech or behaviour.


SIMPLE

The child has a small scratch on his left cheek.

CONTEXTUAL

He had the cheek to ask for a refund after he had already eaten the entire meal.

COMPLEX

The cold wind caused a bright flush to appear on her cheeks as she stepped out from the sheltered valley onto the exposed ridge.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English cheeke, cheke, cheoke, choke, from Old English ċēce, ċēace, ċēoce (“cheek; jaw”), from Proto-West Germanic kākā, keukā (“jaw, cheek”), from Proto-Germanic kēkǭ, keukǭ (“jaw; palate; pharynx”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *ǵyewh₁- (“to chew”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Sooke (“cheek”), West Frisian tsjeak (“jaw”), Dutch kaak (“jaw; cheek”), Swedish käke (“jaw; jowl”), Norwegian kjake (“jaw”), Old Norse kók (“mouth; gullet”).

Usage

Countable when referring to the anatomical feature; uncountable when referring to impertinence or rudeness.

Idioms2 entries

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