What does "jowl" mean?
The jaw, jawbone; especially one of the lateral parts of the mandible.
Jowl
/d͡ʒəʊl/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The jaw, jawbone; especially one of the lateral parts of the mandible.
- Grammar: jowl is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: jawbone, lower jaw, mandible, bank.
- Useful contrasts: firm facial contour, lift, maxilla.
- Usage evidence: I had lain, therefore, all that time, cheek by jowl with Blackbeard himself, with only a thin shell of tinder wood to keep him from me, and now had thrust my hand into his coffin and plucked away his beard.
How to use "jowl"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "jowl" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "jowl" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "jowl" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "jowl" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "jowl" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "jawbone" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "jowl", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The jaw, jawbone; especially one of the lateral parts of the mandible.
"I had lain, therefore, all that time, cheek by jowl with Blackbeard himself, with only a thin shell of tinder wood to keep him from me, and now had thrust my hand into his coffin and plucked away his beard."
- 2 A fold of fatty flesh under the chin, around the cheeks, or lower jaw (as a dewlap, wattle, crop, or double chin).
- 3 A blow, bump, knock. dialectal
- 4 the jaw in vertebrates that is hinged to open the mouth wordnet
- 5 The cheek; especially the cheek meat of a hog.
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 The tolling of a bell; knell. dialectal
- 7 a fullness and looseness of the flesh of the lower cheek and jaw (characteristic of aging) wordnet
- 8 A cut of fish including the head and adjacent parts
Verb
- 1 To throw, dash, or knock. obsolete, transitive
"That ſkull had a tongue in it, and could ſing once, how the knave iowles it to the ground, as if twere Caines iawbone, that did the firſt murder, this might be the pate of a pollitician, which this aſſe now ore-reaches; one that would circumuent God, might it not?"
- 2 To knock, bump, strike against; hit, strike; peck at. dialectal, transitive
- 3 To jolt or shake roughly; shake up, mix together. dialectal, transitive
- 4 To rumble. dialectal, transitive
- 5 To toll, knell. dialectal, transitive
Example
"I had lain, therefore, all that time, cheek by jowl with Blackbeard himself, with only a thin shell of tinder wood to keep him from me, and now had thrust my hand into his coffin and plucked away his beard."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "jowl"?
Common synonyms include: jawbone, lower jaw, mandible, bank, bazoo, beam.
How do you use "jowl" in a sentence?
I had lain, therefore, all that time, cheek by jowl with Blackbeard himself, with only a thin shell of tinder wood to keep him from me, and now had thrust my hand into his coffin and plucked away his beard.
How do you pronounce "jowl"?
Pronounced /d͡ʒəʊl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English jawle, chawl, chavel (“jaw, jawbone”), from Old English ċeafl (“jaw, cheek”), from Proto-West Germanic *kafl (“jaw, cheek”). The modern form (for expected chavel, chawl; still found dialectally) is influenced by jaw, which it is a partial doublet of.
Etymology 2
From Middle English cholle (“wattle, jowl”), from Old English ċeole (“throat”), from Proto-West Germanic *kelā, from Proto-Germanic *kelǭ (“gullet”) (compare Scots choll, West Frisian kiel, Dutch keel, German Kehle), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelu- (“to swallow”) (compare Old Irish in·gilid (“to graze”), Irish goile (“stomach”), Latin gula (“throat”), gluttiō (“to swallow”), Russian глота́ть (glotátʹ, “to swallow, gulp”), Ancient Greek δέλεαρ (délear, “lure”), Armenian կլանել (klanel, “I swallow”), Persian گلو (galu), Hindi गला (galā, “neck, throat”)).
Etymology 3
From Middle English jollen, chollen (“to knock, strike, batter; stagger”). Related to jow (“to knock, bump, ring”).