maw

IPA/mɔː/
KK[mˈɔ]IPA/mɔː/

maw — noun

  • mawsingular
  • mawsplural

1. the wide mouth and throat parts of a fierce wild creature, especially when it op

1.名詞C1
釋義

the wide mouth and throat parts of a fierce wild creature, especially when it opens them to attack or eat its prey

例句

The lion opened its massive maw and let out a roar that shook the savanna.

collocation: massive maw / gaping maw

Talia froze when the crocodile's dark maw rose from the muddy water beside her.

同義詞
  • jaws

    refers specifically to the bony mouth structure rather than the whole mouth-and-throat area

  • gullet

    focuses on the throat passage, not the mouth opening

  • muzzle

    describes the projecting nose and mouth area, typically of a dog or horse, without the ferocity of 'maw'

文法句型

the + maw + of + animal

adjective + maw

用法筆記

This sense belongs to literary or dramatic writing; in everyday speech, 'mouth' or 'jaws' is the natural choice. The word commonly pairs with adjectives that emphasize size or menace (gaping, massive, bloody).

常見錯誤

❌The baby opened his maw to cry.
✅The baby opened his mouth to cry.
💡'maw' describes the mouth of a fierce wild animal, not a human baby.
❌I saw the dog's maw.
✅I saw the dog's mouth.
💡using 'maw' for a domestic animal sounds unnatural and overly dramatic.

2. a powerful thing or situation that seems to swallow up or destroy everything tha

2.名詞C2
釋義

a powerful thing or situation that seems to swallow up or destroy everything that comes close to it, like an enormous open mouth

例句

The city was a hungry maw that swallowed the hopes of thousands of newcomers.

metaphorical: hungry maw

Putri watched the forest fire become a red maw that devoured trees and houses.

同義詞
  • abyss

    emphasises depth and emptiness rather than the consuming action

  • vortex

    suggests a swirling, pulling motion that draws things inward

  • gulf

    focuses on the separating gap rather than the act of swallowing

文法句型

the + maw + of + noun phrase

用法筆記

Always figurative. The construction 'the maw of + abstract noun' (the maw of war, the maw of poverty) is the most common pattern. Frequently appears in journalism and descriptive prose to convey a sense of inescapable consumption.

常見錯誤

❌The bag had a small maw at the top.
✅The bag had a small opening at the top.
💡'maw' is too grand and dramatic for everyday objects; use 'opening' or 'mouth' instead.
❌The hungry boy opened his maw wide.
✅The hungry boy opened his mouth wide.
💡the figurative sense describes an abstract consuming force, not a person's mouth.

3. the internal body parts of an animal used to hold and break down food, such as t

3.名詞C1
釋義

the internal body parts of an animal used to hold and break down food, such as the stomach, throat, or crop

例句

Eshe cleaned the goat's maw carefully before cooking a traditional stew for her family.

Zayd studied the bird's maw under a microscope, watching the crop process seeds.

biological: maw = crop (in birds)

同義詞
  • stomach

    the standard, neutral term for the digestive organ in humans and animals

  • crop

    a specific pouch in a bird's throat where food is stored before digestion

  • gizzard

    the muscular part of a bird's digestive system that grinds food

  • paunch

    the stomach of a ruminant animal, especially a cow or sheep

文法句型

the + maw + of + animal

用法筆記

This sense appears in anatomy textbooks, butchery guides, and traditional cooking contexts. In modern English, specific terms (stomach, crop, gizzard) are much more common. Using 'maw' for human body parts sounds archaic or humorous.

常見錯誤

❌I ate too much and my maw hurts.
✅I ate too much and my stomach hurts.
💡'maw' for a human body sounds old-fashioned or comical, not natural.
❌The cat's maw was full of fur.
✅The cat's stomach was full of fur.
💡for domestic animals, 'stomach' is the ordinary word.