What does cheek mean?
Cheek most fundamentally names the soft, rounded part of the face below each eye — the surface we blush on, kiss, and slap in outrage. From this bodily sense grew a vivid figurative one: because boldness and disrespect are thought to show plainly on a person's face, especially in Britain, 'cheek' came to mean impudent, presumptuous boldness, as in 'he had the cheek to complain about free food'. This figurative sense is informal and often carries an undercurrent of affection or amusement rather than genuine offence. The word also anchors several enduring English phrases — speaking 'tongue in cheek' signals ironic insincerity, 'turning the other cheek' expresses forbearance, and living 'cheek by jowl' describes crowded closeness. Related forms such as 'cheeky' capture playfully irreverent behaviour, making the word family central to describing charming audacity.
The fleshy part of either side of the face below the eye.
"The cold wind stung his cheeks as he walked home."
Often pluralized when referring to both sides of the face.
(Informal, chiefly British) Impudent boldness or disrespectful talk.
"She had the cheek to tell me my cooking was terrible."
Usually carries a tone of amused exasperation rather than serious anger.
Standard plural; used when referring to both sides of the face.
"Her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment."
When you call someone 'cheeky', you're literally saying their boldness shows on their face — 'cheek' and 'chuckle' both trace back to an ancient word for jaw.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cheek
Cheek derives from Old English 'ceace' (also spelled 'ceóce'), meaning jaw or jawbone, which traces back to Proto-Germanic roots related to chewing. It is cognate with words in other Germanic languages connected to the jaw and mastication, and it shares distant ancestry with 'chuckle' and 'jowl'. Over the Middle English period its sense narrowed from the jaw generally to the fleshy side of the face below the eye, where it has been stable ever since.
Related word forms
How cheek is actually used
The literal anatomical sense is universal. The 'impudence' sense is chiefly British and informal, usually with affectionate rather than hostile connotations ('the cheek of it!'). In American English, 'nerve' or 'guts' more commonly conveys this meaning.
Easily confused with cheek
'Chic' means stylishly elegant, while 'cheek' is either a part of the face or impudent boldness — they merely sound somewhat similar.
'Check' means to examine or verify (or a bill/cheque), whereas 'cheek' refers to the side of the face or to impudence.