tooth S2 W2 / tuθ / 名词 ( 复数形式 teeth / tiθ / ) [可数名词]

1 in mouth one of the hard white objects in your mouth that you use to bite and eat food :

Sugar is bad for your teeth. → baby tooth , → canine tooth at canine 2 ( 1 ) , → eye tooth ( 2 ) , milk tooth , wisdom tooth , buck teeth , false teeth , gap-toothed

2 on a tool etc one of the sharp or pointed parts that sticks out from the edge of a comb or saw

3 power have teeth if a law or an organization has teeth, it has the power to force people to obey it :

We need an Environment Agency that really has teeth.

4 fight tooth and nail to try with a lot of effort or determination to do something :

We fought tooth and nail to get these plans accepted.

5 get your teeth into something informal to start to do something with a lot of energy and determination :

I can’t wait to get my teeth into the new course.

6 in the teeth of something in spite of opposition or danger from something :

Permission for the development was granted in the teeth of opposition from local shopkeepers.

7 set sb’s teeth on edge if a sound or taste sets your teeth on edge, it gives you an uncomfortable feeling in your mouth :

a horrible scraping sound that set my teeth on edge

→ armed to the teeth at armed ( 1 ) , → cut your teeth on something at cut 1 ( 23 ) , → by the skin of your teeth at skin 1 ( 9 ) , → be a kick in the teeth at kick 2 ( 5 ) , → lie through your teeth at lie 2 ( 1 ) , → have a sweet tooth at sweet 1 ( 7 ) , → take the bit between your teeth at bit 2 ( 9 )

COLLOCATIONS

动词

brush your teeth ( also clean your teeth British English ) I brush my teeth twice a day.

floss your teeth (= clean between your teeth using dental floss ) My dentist said I should floss my teeth more.

have a tooth out British English , have a tooth pulled American English (= have a tooth removed ) He’s gone to the dentist to have a tooth out.

lose a tooth (= no longer have it ) Many of the men had lost all their teeth by the age of 40.

extract a tooth (= take it out ) The dentist an 名词 ced that she would have to extract two teeth.

bare your teeth (= show them, especially in an angry or threatening way ) The dog bared its teeth and snarled.

grit/clench your teeth (= put them firmly together ) He was gritting his teeth against the pain.

grind your teeth ( also gnash your teeth literary ) (= move them against each other because you are angry ) Kate ground her teeth in helpless rage.

sink your teeth into something (= put your teeth into someone’s flesh, into food etc ) The dog sank its teeth into the boy’s hand.

somebody’s teeth chatter (= hit together quickly because someone is cold or afraid ) My teeth began to chatter, and I regretted leaving my jacket behind.

be cutting a tooth (= have one of your first teeth growing ) Poor little Patrick was cutting another tooth and we had hardly had any sleep.

形容词

somebody’s front/back teeth Some of his front teeth were missing.

white/yellow His teeth were white and even.

sharp The fish has small but very sharp teeth.

good/perfect She smiled, showing a mouthful of perfect teeth.

bad/rotten She felt ashamed of her bad teeth and rarely smiled.

even (= all of the same height ) His teeth were white and even.

crooked He grinned at me, showing rotten, crooked teeth.

loose I had a loose tooth.

tooth + 名词

tooth decay Brushing regularly helps prevent tooth decay.

COMMON ERRORS

► Do not say ’ wash your teeth ‘. Say brush your teeth or clean your teeth .