What does cheekful mean?
Cheekful is an informal noun for the amount of food held in, or taken from, one’s cheek. It describes a bite-sized or modest portion and is especially natural in contexts involving children, picnics, busy meals, or someone eating casually. The usual pattern is “a cheekful of” followed by the food: one might speak of a cheekful of rice, bread, or fruit. Although a cheekful is generally a small quantity, the word can acquire a playful or mildly emphatic tone when used to suggest that someone has stuffed their cheek with food. It is not a formal measure and does not imply a precise serving size. In informal figurative usage, the phrase “a cheekful of impudence” describes brazen or disrespectful behaviour, extending the idea metaphorically from a crowded cheek to a mouth full of words. The compound is transparent, built from cheek and the suffix -ful, and its plain meaning makes it especially useful in vivid descriptions of eating and appetite.
nounThe quantity of food that can be held in the cheek; a bite or portion of food. By extension, a cheekful of impudence means brazen or disrespectful behaviour.
- The quantity of food held in the cheek; a bite or small portion of food.
- In the expression “a cheekful of impudence,” brazenness or disrespect.
"He crammed a cheekful of bread into his mouth before answering."
"The child took a small cheekful of porridge and continued playing."
"The impudent reply was a cheekful of impudence."
Pluralized without an apostrophe, although the singular form is much more common.
"The children each had a cheekful of rice."
A “cheekful of impudence” turns a crowded cheek into a comic picture of brazenness.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cheekful
Cheekful is an English compound formed from cheek and the suffix -ful, literally “a full cheek.” Its food sense developed from the image of placing or holding food in the cheek. The base cheek comes from Old English cēce, meaning “jaw” or “cheek”; cheekbone and cheeky are later English derivatives sharing that base.
How cheekful is actually used
The food sense is everyday and conversational. The figurative sense is usually humorous or deliberately emphatic.
Easily confused with cheekful
A mouthful is an amount taken into the mouth, whereas a cheekful is food held or eaten from the cheek.