I. cheek 1 W3 /tʃiːk/ BrE AmE noun
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: ceace ]
1 . [countable] the soft round part of your face below each of your eyes:
Lucy stretched up to kiss his cheek.
Billy had rosy cheeks and blue eyes.
her tear-stained cheeks
Julie’s cheeks flushed with pleasure at the compliment.
red-cheeked/hollow-cheeked/rosy-cheeked etc
a red-cheeked plump old fellow
2 . [singular, uncountable] British English disrespectful or rude behaviour, especially towards someone in a position of authority:
I’ve had enough of your cheek.
have the cheek to do something
He had the cheek to make personal remarks and expect no reaction.
She’s got a cheek; she just goes on till she gets what she wants.
It’s a bit of a cheek, asking me for money.
What a cheek! Of course I read the instructions!
3 . cheek by jowl (with somebody/something) very close to someone or something else:
an expensive French restaurant cheek by jowl with a cheap clothes shop
4 . turn the other cheek to deliberately avoid reacting in an angry or violent way when someone has hurt or upset you
5 . cheek to cheek if two people dance cheek to cheek, they dance very close to each other in a romantic way
6 . [countable] informal one of the two soft fleshy parts of your bottom SYN buttock
⇨ tongue in cheek at ↑ tongue 1 (6), ⇨ ↑ tongue-in-cheek
II. cheek 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
British English to speak rudely or with disrespect to someone, especially to someone older such as your teacher or parents SYN sass American English :
You can cheek some teachers and they just don’t do anything.