# oral

/ˈɔɹəɫ/ (US) · /ˈɔːɹəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/oral
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. spoken

adjective · CEFR B1

spoken rather than written.

For teachers: relating to or expressed in spoken words rather than written text.

- The local people have a strong oral tradition of storytelling.
- The historian relied on oral testimonies from survivors to reconstruct the events of the mid-century migration.

### 2. relating to the mouth

adjective · CEFR B2 · Technical

relating to the mouth or used in the mouth.

For teachers: relating to, affecting, or for use in the mouth.

- Good oral health is important for your overall well-being.
- The patient was prescribed an oral antibiotic to be taken twice daily after meals for the duration of the week.

Usage: Often used in medical contexts like 'oral hygiene' or 'oral medication'.

### 3. spoken exam

noun · CEFR B2

a spoken test or examination, especially in a language class.

For teachers: an examination conducted by spoken communication rather than in writing.

- I passed the written part of the French test, but I am nervous about the oral.
- Candidates are required to demonstrate their fluency during a twenty-minute oral conducted by a panel of native speakers.

### 4. sexual activity

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal · Slang · Vulgar

a common way to refer to oral sex.

For teachers: an informal ellipsis for oral sex.

- The book discusses how young adults view oral in modern relationships.
- The survey results indicated a shift in how teenagers categorise oral compared to penetrative intercourse.

## Examples

- I have my Spanish oral tomorrow morning.
- After passing the written portion of the bar exam, the candidates had to sit for a rigorous oral to prove their legal reasoning skills.
- The doctoral candidate defended her thesis during a three-hour oral, during which the committee questioned her methodology and the broader implications of her findings.

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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.