mandible
noun
man·di·ble
ˈman-də-bəl 
1
a
: jaw sense 1a
especially
: a lower jaw consisting of a single bone or of completely fused bones
b
: the lower jaw with its investing soft parts
c
: either the upper or lower segment of the bill of a bird
2
: any of various invertebrate mouthparts serving to hold or bite food materials
especially
: either member of the anterior pair of mouth appendages of an arthropod often forming strong biting jaws
Examples of mandible in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This has puzzled archaeologists because Egyptian mummification typically involved bandaging the mandible to the skull to keep the mouth closed.
—
Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 1 Aug. 2024
With this special advantage, animals with mandibles quickly took over the planet, becoming Earth’s most diverse animal group.
—Ashley Balzer Vigil, Scientific American, 23 July 2024
Ancient, Upside-Down Hunter Seeing features like the mandibles and other details gave the researchers a better idea of how the creature hunted.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 24 July 2024
Particularly because of this dramatic success, scientists have long been interested in placing the mandible’s emergence on an evolutionary timeline.
—Ashley Balzer Vigil, Scientific American, 23 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for mandible 
Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 1 Aug. 2024
With this special advantage, animals with mandibles quickly took over the planet, becoming Earth’s most diverse animal group.
—Ashley Balzer Vigil, Scientific American, 23 July 2024
Ancient, Upside-Down Hunter Seeing features like the mandibles and other details gave the researchers a better idea of how the creature hunted.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 24 July 2024
Particularly because of this dramatic success, scientists have long been interested in placing the mandible’s emergence on an evolutionary timeline.
—Ashley Balzer Vigil, Scientific American, 23 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for mandible
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mandible.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near mandible
Cite this Entry
“Mandible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mandible. Accessed 18 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mandible
noun
man·di·ble
ˈman-də-bəl
1
a(1)
: a lower jaw of a vertebrate consisting of a single bone or of bones that are completely united
(2)
: the lower jaw with its surrounding soft parts
b
: either the upper or lower part of the bill of a bird
2
: either of the first pair of mouthparts of some invertebrates and especially arthropods (as an insect or crustacean) that often form biting organs
Medical Definition
mandible
noun
man·di·ble
ˈman-də-bəl
1
a
: jaw sense 1
especially
: jaw sense 1b
b
: the lower jaw with its investing soft parts
2
: any of various invertebrate mouthparts serving to hold or bite food materials
especially
: either member of the anterior pair of mouth appendages of an arthropod often forming strong biting jaws
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