mouthpiece
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /mˈaʊθpiːs/
US
- /ˈmaʊθˌpis/
Description
- spokesperson
- representative
- part you speak or blow into
- device worn in the mouth
A mouthpiece can be a person who speaks for someone else, like a press secretary speaking for a president or a lawyer speaking for a client. But it also has a literal meaning. Think about a trumpet player: they blow into one to make sound.
The context tells you which meaning is intended. A political analyst might call someone "the mouthpiece of the party," meaning they keep repeating its views. Or a dentist might fit you with one to protect your teeth during sports. It all depends on whether the word is talking about a person who speaks or an object used in the mouth.
The word "mouthpiece" has two main meanings. Very often, it refers to a person who speaks for another person, group, or organization. This could be an official spokesperson for a company, a press secretary for a politician, or someone seen as repeating a party's ideas in public. When a person is called a "mouthpiece," the tone is often a little critical, suggesting that they are not speaking independently but passing along someone else's message.
It also has a literal meaning: a part or device that goes in or against the mouth. This can be the part of a musical instrument, such as a trumpet or saxophone, that a player blows into. It can also mean a dental or sports device worn in the mouth to protect the teeth, or another object used for breathing or speaking.
The key is context. In politics, law, or the media, it usually means a person who speaks for others. In music, sports, dentistry, or similar fields, it usually means the physical object. The basic idea is simple: it is either a voice for someone else or something used with the mouth.
Examples
- 1
Musical instrument
She cleaned the mouthpiece of her trumpet before the concert.
- 2
Diving equipment
The diver bit gently on the rubber mouthpiece and slipped under the water.
- 3
Political campaign
The radio host became a mouthpiece for the mayor’s campaign.
Pattern
mouthpiece for + person/group
a person or organization that publicly repeats or supports that person's or group's views, often too closely
- 4
Government media
Critics called the newspaper a government mouthpiece.
- 5
Workplace politics
I can explain the policy, but I don’t want to be used as management’s mouthpiece.
Forms and spellings
2 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- mouthpiecenoun
Forms
- mouthpiecespluralnoun