An Encylopedia Britannica Company

tongue

1 tongue /ˈtʌŋ/ noun
plural tongues
1 tongue
/ˈtʌŋ/
noun
plural tongues
Britannica Dictionary definition of TONGUE
[count] : the soft, movable part in the mouth that is used for tasting and eating food and in human beings for speaking
see picture at mouth
[count, noncount] : the tongue of an animal (such as an ox or sheep) that is eaten as food
[count] : language
see also mother tongue
[count] : a particular way or quality of speaking
see also tongued
[count] : something that is shaped like a tongue + of
[count] : a long flap that is under the laces or buckles of a shoe see picture at shoe
[count] : a long, raised part at the end of a board that extends out and fits into a long cut (called a groove) in another board see also tongue-and-groove

a slip of the tongue

see 2slip

bite your tongue

see 1bite

Cat got your tongue?

see cat

get your tongue around

informal
◊ If you cannot get your tongue around a word or phrase, you have difficulty saying it.

hold your tongue

see 1hold

loosen someone's tongue

see loosen

on the tip of your tongue

see 3tip

roll/trip off the tongue

: to be easy to say or pronounce

speak in tongues

◊ Someone who is speaking in tongues is saying strange words that no one can understand, especially as part of a religious experience.

speak/talk with (a) forked tongue

see forked

tongues (are) wagging

◊ If something sets/gets tongues wagging or if tongues are wagging, people are talking a lot about something.

with (your) tongue in (your) cheek

2 tongue /ˈtʌŋ/ verb
tongues; tongued; tonguing
2 tongue
/ˈtʌŋ/
verb
tongues; tongued; tonguing
Britannica Dictionary definition of TONGUE
: to produce separate notes when you are blowing air through a musical instrument (such as a trumpet) by using your tongue to briefly stop the flow of air
[+ object]
[no object]
[+ object] : to touch or lick something with your tongue