1
: the receptacle into which food is taken by swallowing:
a
b
: crop
2
a
: the throat, gullet, or jaws especially of a voracious animal
the gaping maw of the tiger
b
: something suggestive of a gaping maw
the dark maw of the cave

Examples of maw in a Sentence

the gaping maw of the tiger
Recent Examples on the Web Staring into the gaping maw of what had once been a neighbour’s window brought an uncomfortable mix of wondering what (or who) was inside and remembering days when the satisfying answer to that question would have simply been a nuclear family. Hazlitt, 19 June 2024 So Kelce opened his gaping maw and became worthy of an art-history class — the photo is somewhere between Munch’s The Scream and Goya’s painting that is popularly known as Saturn Devouring His Son. Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2024 But a customer call leads her into the maw of an ethical dilemma. Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 15 May 2024 Ice sits at the poles A planet perched right at the sun’s maw shouldn’t harbor any water, let alone ice—or so researchers thought. Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for maw 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'maw.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English maga; akin to Old High German mago stomach, Lithuanian makas purse

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of maw was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near maw

Cite this Entry

“Maw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maw. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

maw

noun
1
: a body part (as a stomach or a crop) that receives swallowed food
2
: the throat, gullet, or jaws especially of a flesh-eating animal

More from Merriam-Webster on maw

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