Standard Lemma guide

teethe

verb · 3 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /tiːð/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -iːð
  • CMU ARPABET: T IY1 DH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To grow teeth.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • Babies typically start teething at about six months.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To bite on something to relieve discomfort caused by growing teeth.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • She'll teethe on anything that she can get into her mouth.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

grow teeth; cut the baby teeth

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The little one is teething now

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: grow, develop, produce, get, acquire

History

Etymology

From Middle English tethen, from Old English tēþan (“to teethe”), from Proto-West Germanic *tanþijan, from Proto-Germanic *tanþijaną (“to teethe”), from Proto-Germanic *tanþs (“tooth”). Cognate with German zähnen (“to provide with teeth”).

Across languages

Translations

19 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: يسنن (yesánnen) — grow teeth
  • Azerbaijani: dişləri çıxmaq — grow teeth
  • Bulgarian: никнат ми зъби (niknat mi zǎbi) — grow teeth
  • Chinese Mandarin: 長牙 /长牙 (zhǎngyá) — grow teeth
  • Chinese Mandarin: 齔 /龀 or 齓 (chèn) — grow teeth
  • Chinese Mandarin: 龀 (chèn) — grow teeth
  • Finnish: saada hampaat — grow teeth
  • French: faire ses dents — grow teeth
  • Galician: dentar — grow teeth
  • Galician: adentar — grow teeth
  • Galician: despechar — grow teeth
  • German: zahnen — grow teeth
  • Icelandic: taka tennur — grow teeth
  • Latin: dentiō — grow teeth
  • Polish: ząbkować — grow teeth
  • Spanish: endentecer — grow teeth
  • Spanish: echar los dientes — grow teeth
  • Spanish: dentar — grow teeth
  • Turkish: diş çıkarmak — grow teeth