oral

1 of 2

adjective

ˈȯr-əl How to pronounce oral (audio)
ˈär-
1
a
: uttered by the mouth or in words : spoken
oral traditions
b
: using speech or the lips especially in teaching the deaf
2
a
: of, given through, or involving the mouth
oral health
an oral vaccine
b
: being on or relating to the same surface as the mouth
3
a
: of, relating to, or characterized by the first stage of psychosexual development in psychoanalytic theory during which libidinal gratification is derived from intake (as of food), by sucking, and later by biting
b
: of, relating to, or characterized by personality traits of passive dependency and aggressiveness
orality noun

oral

2 of 2

noun

: an oral examination
usually used in plural

Examples of oral in a Sentence

Adjective She practices good oral hygiene by brushing her teeth at least twice a day. As part of her oral examination, she had to recite the names of all the presidents.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Starting January 1, 2025, Minnesota will allow oral fluid testing as an alternative to traditional drug testing methods, offering employers more flexibility. Alonzo Martinez, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024 Only oral finasteride is authorized in the UK, not the topical product. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2024
Noun
Swedish Match data shows the vast majority are previous consumers of traditional oral, vaping, and cigarette products with others coming from other nicotine product categories. Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024 Still, the most effective therapies for female pattern hair loss include minoxidil (usually topical, but low-dose oral is increasingly used), spironolactone, and finasteride. Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 27 Feb. 2023 See all Example Sentences for oral 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'oral.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin or-, os mouth; akin to Old Norse ōss mouth of a river, Sanskrit ās mouth

First Known Use

Adjective

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1876, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of oral was in 1597

Dictionary Entries Near oral

Cite this Entry

“Oral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oral. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

oral

adjective
ˈōr-əl,
ˈȯr-,
ˈär-
1
: uttered by the mouth : spoken
2
: of, relating to, given by, or near the mouth
oral hygiene
orally
-ə-lē
adverb

Medical Definition

1
a
: of, relating to, or involving the mouth : buccal
the oral mucous membrane
b
: given or taken through or by way of the mouth
an oral vaccine
an oral suspension of a drug
c
: acting on the mouth
oral diseases
2
: emphasizing lipreading and the development of vocal expression in teaching the deaf compare manual sense 2
3
a
: of, relating to, or characterized by the first stage of psychosexual development in psychoanalytic theory during which libidinal gratification is derived from intake (as of food), by sucking, and later by biting
b
: of, relating to, or characterized by personality traits of passive dependence and aggressiveness compare anal sense 2, genital sense 3, phallic sense 2
orality noun
plural oralities
orally adverb

Geographical Definition

Oral

geographical name

variants or Uralsk
ü-ˈrälsk How to pronounce Oral (audio)
yu̇-ˈralsk
city on the Ural River in western Kazakhstan population 202,161

More from Merriam-Webster on oral

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