Phrase guide

say cheese

verb · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

verb

Meaning 1

To smile for a photograph by saying the word "cheese" (the vowel of which, when pronounced as is usual in English, forces a somewhat smile-shaped mouth).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, imperative

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

5 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 茄子 (qiézi) — elicit a smile from someone for a photograph
  • Finnish: sano muikku — elicit a smile from someone for a photograph
  • Japanese: チーズ (chīzu) — elicit a smile from someone for a photograph
  • Portuguese: dizer xis — elicit a smile from someone for a photograph
  • Vietnamese: cười lên nào — elicit a smile from someone for a photograph