maw

noun

ˈmȯ 

1

: the receptacle into which food is taken by swallowing:

a

: stomach

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

Bob hitches a ride to New York in the rear of a station wagon, the driver unknown, the small talk between them nonexistent, and is dropped off at the open maw of a tunnel. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2024

Unbearably taut, the 40-second sequence of people shrieking in suffering as they're pulled into Jean Jacket's maw proves that gore-free horror is equally, if not more, scarring. —Keith Staskiewicz, EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024

But according to a study recently published in the journal Reptiles & Amphibians, these gaping maws can expand bigger than experts once believed. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 24 Oct. 2024

There was just a big fat gaping maw from which emerged Kim Richards, TMC Faye Resnick, Camille Donatacci Grammer, and Teddi Mellencamp. —Brian Moylan, Vulture, 10 Jan. 2024

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

Kids Definition

maw

noun

ˈmȯ 

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