Cheek — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈchēk/

Meaning & Definition of Cheek

Cheek (noun)

  1. the fleshy side of the face below the eye and above and to the side of the mouth; broadly, the lateral aspect of the head
  2. something suggestive of the human cheek in position or form; especially, one of two laterally paired parts
  3. insolent boldness and self-assurance

Cheek (verb)

  1. to speak rudely or impudently to

Cheek (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. disrespectful or argumentative talk given in response to a command or request

    "any more cheek in this classroom and you'll get a detention"

    similar: back talk, backchat, impertinence, impudence, insolence, mouth, sass, sauce
    related: comeback, rejoinder, retort, riposte, wisecrack, cuteness, discourtesy, disrespect, guff, impoliteness, nonsense, rudeness, tactlessness, audaciousness, audacity, boldness, brazenness, coarseness, crassness, crudity, vulgarity, abruptness, bluffness, bluntness, brusqueness, crossness, curtness, gruffness, surliness
    near: civility, cordiality, courtesy, diplomacy, politeness, tactfulness, consideration, gallantry, gentility, graciousness, smoothness, suaveness, suavity, deference, respect, affability

  2. shameless boldness

    "she had the cheek to blame me for the fact that she had forgotten about the staff meeting"

    similar: audaciousness, audacity, brashness, brass, brassiness, brazenness, cheekiness, chutzpah, crust, effrontery, face, gall, nerve, nerviness, pertness, presumption, presumptuousness, sauce, sauciness, temerity
    related: arrogance, assurance, cockiness, confidence, hardihood, overconfidence, sanguinity, self-assurance, self-confidence, discourteousness, disrespect, impertinence, impoliteness, impudence, incivility, inconsiderateness, inconsideration, insolence, rudeness, ungraciousness, back talk, sass, swagger, swash
    near: bashfulness, diffidence, faintheartedness, hesitancy, modesty, shyness, timidity, timidness, timorousness, civility, courteousness, courtesy, gentility, graciousness, mannerliness, manners

  3. the part of the body upon which someone sits

    "he dropped his pants and flashed his cheeks at the opposing team"

    similar: backside, behind, booty (slang), bottom, breech, bum, buns, butt, buttocks, caboose, can, derriere, duff, fanny, fundament, hams, haunches, heinie (slang), hunkers, keister (slang), nates, posterior, rear, rear end, rump, seat, tail, tail end, tush (slang)
    related: beam, stern, moon (slang)

Related Entry: Tongue-in-cheek (adjective)

Tongue-in-cheek is a different word from Cheek. The synonyms below are for tongue-in-cheek, not for cheek.

  1. as in flippant, facetious

    similar: facetious, flippant, cynical, dry, ironic, wry, acrimonious, bitter, resentful, vitriolic, incisive, keen, poignant, trenchant, harsh, rough, severe, stringent, brisk, cross, sharp-tongued, sour, sourish, spiky, tartish, abrupt, blunt, brusque, concise, crisp, curt, gruff, pithy, snippety, snippy, succinct, terse, acerb, acerbic, acid, acidic, acidulous, acrid, barbed, biting, caustic, corrosive, cutting, mordant, pungent, sarcastic, sardonic, satiric, scalding, scathing, sharp, smart-aleck, smart-alecky, smart-mouthed, snarky, tart, backhanded, insincere
    opposite: amusing, droll, merry, playful, sportive, waggish, gentle, mild, bland, good-humored, good-natured, diplomatic, polite, smooth, suave, urbane, affable, cordial, genial, gracious, hospitable, sociable

Related Entry: Turn (verb)

Turn is a different word from Cheek. The synonyms below are for turn, not for cheek.

  1. to move (something) in a curved or circular path on or as if on an axis

    "turned the doorknob as quietly as possible"

    similar: pivot, revolve, roll, rotate, spin, swing, swirl, swivel, twirl, twist, wheel, whirl
    related: screw, unscrew, twiddle, coil, crank, reel, wind, circulate

  2. to change the course or direction of (something)

    "the dog turned the stampeding flock of sheep around"

    "he turned his cart uphill"

    similar: deflect, divert, redirect, swing, veer, wheel, whip
    related: avert, deviate, move, rechannel, shift, shunt, sidetrack, swerve, switch, transfer, swivel, twist, whirl, zigzag, bend, curve, sway, reverse, turn back

  3. to change one's course or direction

    "we turned left at the light"

    "the storm unexpectedly turned south and missed our area"

    similar: detour, deviate, diverge, sheer, swerve, swing, turn off, veer, wheel
    related: tack, zigzag, double (back), turn back

  4. to eventually have as a state or quality

    "will turn 12 in six months"

    similar: become, come, get, go, grow, run, wax
    related: alter, change, metamorphose, modify, mutate, transfigure, transform, transmute
    near: abide, be, continue, linger, remain, stay

  5. to move in circles around an axis or center

    "the wheels turned, but the car was hopelessly stuck and wasn't moving"

    similar: gyrate, pinwheel, pirouette, revolve, roll, rotate, spin, twirl, wheel, whirl
    related: coil, curl, curve, round, spiral, swirl, twine, twist, wind, circle, circulate, encircle, orbit, ring, pivot, swivel

  6. to give serious and careful thought to

    "turned the question every which way but could find no answer"

    similar: chew over, cogitate, consider, contemplate, debate, deliberate, entertain, eye, kick around, meditate, mull (over), perpend, ponder, pore (over), question, revolve, ruminate, study, think (about or over), weigh, wrestle (with), beat one's brains out (about), chew on, cudgel one's brains (about), look at
    related: muse (upon), reflect (on or upon), reminisce, analyze, explore, review, conclude, reason, second-guess, speculate (about), brood (about or over), dwell (on or upon), fixate (on or upon), fret (about or over), obsess (about or over), believe, conceive, opine, absorb, assimilate, digest, drink (in)
    near: disregard, ignore, overlook, slight, dismiss, pooh-pooh, reject

  7. to be determined by, based on, or subject (to)

    "what we do next turns on your answer to the following question"

    similar: depend, hang, hinge, ride
    related: base, establish, found, rest, stay, ground

  8. to be in a confused state as if from being twirled around

    "all the new information made his head turn"

    similar: reel, spin, swim, whirl
    related: swirl
    near: calm, collect, settle, steady

  9. to cause to have often negative opinions formed without sufficient knowledge

    "he did his best to turn his new friends against his ex-wife"

    similar: bias, poison, prejudice
    related: dispose, incline, predispose, influence, prepossess, convince, persuade, suggest

Related Entry: Turn (on) (verb)

Turn (on) is a different word from Cheek. The synonyms below are for turn (on), not for cheek.

  1. to take sudden, violent action against

    "it is dangerous to keep tigers as house pets, as they often turn on their masters without warning"

    similar: assail, assault, attack, beset, bushwhack, charge, descend (on or upon), go in (on), jump (on), pounce (on or upon), raid, rush, set on, sic, storm, strike, trash, beat up on, fly at, go at, light into, pitch into, round on, set at, set upon, tear into
    related: bum-rush, gang up (on), mob, swarm, mug, rob, ambuscade, ambush, surprise, waylay, blitz, bomb, bombard, nuke, barrage, cannon, cannonade, bang away (at), batter, buffet, plaster, beleaguer, besiege, press, harry, loot, pillage, plunder, ravage, sack, foray, invade, overrun, envelop, flank
    near: cover, defend, guard, protect, secure, shield

Related Entry: Turn (to) (verb)

Turn (to) is a different word from Cheek. The synonyms below are for turn (to), not for cheek.

  1. to use or seek out as a source of aid, relief, or advantage

    "no need to turn to violence when we can talk things out peacefully"

    similar: consult, go (to), refer (to), resort (to), fall back on
    related: employ, use, utilize, depend (on), rely (on)

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Cheek

The most common words with a similar meaning to Cheek:

Slang: booty, heinie, keister, tush
back talk, backchat, impertinence, impudence, insolence, mouth, sass, sauce, audaciousness, audacity, brashness, brass, brassiness, brazenness, cheekiness, chutzpah, crust, effrontery, face, gall, nerve, nerviness, pertness, presumption, presumptuousness, sauciness, temerity, backside, behind, bottom, breech, bum, buns, butt, buttocks, caboose, can, derriere, duff, fanny

Related Words for Cheek

comeback, rejoinder, retort, riposte, wisecrack, cuteness, discourtesy, disrespect, guff, impoliteness, nonsense, rudeness, tactlessness, boldness, coarseness, crassness, crudity, vulgarity, abruptness, bluffness, bluntness, brusqueness, crossness, curtness, gruffness, surliness, arrogance, assurance, cockiness, confidence

Near Antonyms of Cheek

civility, cordiality, courtesy, diplomacy, politeness, tactfulness, consideration, gallantry, gentility, graciousness, smoothness, suaveness, suavity, deference, respect, affability, bashfulness, diffidence, faintheartedness, hesitancy, modesty, shyness, timidity, timidness, timorousness, courteousness, mannerliness, manners

Word Forms of Cheek

Inflections: cheeked, cheeking, cheeks

Derived words: cheekful (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Cheek

Middle English cheke, from Old English cēace; akin to Middle Low German kāke jawbone

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Cheek

Words & Phrases Containing Cheek

cheek by jowl, cheek tooth, cheek to cheek, tongue-in-cheek, tongue in cheek, turn the other cheek, with (one's) tongue in (one's) cheek

Frequently Asked Questions about Cheek

What does "Cheek" mean?

"Cheek" means the fleshy side of the face below the eye and above and to the side of the mouth; broadly, the lateral aspect of the head. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: the fleshy side of the face below the eye and above and to the side of the mouth; broadly, the lateral aspect of the head. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Cheek"?

Other words for "Cheek" include back talk, backchat, impertinence, impudence, insolence, mouth, sass and sauce. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Cheek" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Cheek"?

There are 101 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Cheek". Common alternatives include back talk, backchat, impertinence, impudence, insolence, mouth, sass, sauce, audaciousness and audacity.

What is a slang word for "Cheek"?

Slang words for "Cheek" include booty, heinie, keister and tush.

How do you use "Cheek" in a sentence?

Examples of "Cheek" in a sentence: "any more cheek in this classroom and you'll get a detention"; "she had the cheek to blame me for the fact that she had forgotten about the staff meeting"; "he dropped his pants and flashed his cheeks at the opposing team".

Is "Cheek" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Cheek" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Cheek" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B2-level word, "Cheek" is typical of Cambridge B2 First (FCE), IELTS band 5.5–6.5, TOEFL iBT 72–94, PTE Academic 59–75, TOEIC Listening & Reading 785+.

How do you pronounce "Cheek"?

"Cheek" is pronounced /ˈchēk/.