I. jaw 1 /dʒɔː $ dʒɒː/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: joe ]
1 . [countable] one of the two bones that your teeth are in:
a broken jaw
lower/upper jaw
an animal with two rows of teeth in its lower jaw
2 . [countable usually singular] the lower part of your face. Its shape is sometimes thought to show your character:
He punched him on the jaw.
a rugged physique and a strong square jaw
She’s got a very determined jaw.
3 . sb’s jaw dropped used to say that someone looked surprised or shocked:
‘You’re not serious, are you?’ Ellen’s jaw dropped.
4 . jaws [plural]
a) the mouth of a person or animal, especially a dangerous animal
b) the two parts of a machine or tool that move together to hold something tightly
5 . the jaws of death/defeat/despair etc literary a situation in which something unpleasant almost happens:
She had saved him from the jaws of death.
II. jaw 2 BrE AmE verb [intransitive]
informal to talk:
Stop jawing and let me get on with the work!