Dictionary

mouthpiece en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈmaʊθˌpiːs/

Etymology

From mouth + piece.

Meanings

1. A part of any device that functions in or near the mouth, especially: ▸ The part of a telephone that is held close to the mouth.
   • "It's 'Soapy,' talking from somewhere down there," rapped out Nickle, covering the mouthpiece as he spoke back into the room. "Get Joolby if you can, one of you." 1934, Ernest Bramah, The Bravo of London:
2. A part of any device that functions in or near the mouth, especially: ▸ The part of a wind instrument that is held in or against the mouth.
3. A part of any device that functions in or near the mouth, especially: ▸ A bit.
4. A mouthguard.
5. (broadly) A spokesman; one who speaks on behalf of someone else.
   • Seeming “real” has been the aim since the earliest police procedurals, which began a long tradition of Hollywood productions acting as a mouthpiece for police departments. 2021 April 24, Adrian Horton, “‘The uprisings opened up the door’: the TV cop shows confronting a harmful legacy”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
   • So when ex-president Dmitry Medvedev, Putin’s mouthpiece, threatens Europe with nuclear weapons, as he often does, that ultimate madness cannot be wholly ruled out. 2026 June 14, Simon Tisdall, “Russia is losing the war in Ukraine, and Putin is desperate. But that’s when he’s at his most dangerous”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
   • The novel's protagonist serves as a mouthpiece for the author's political views.
   • Xi Jinping has told the People’s Liberation Army to “focus all its energy on fighting” in preparation for war, a Chinese Communist party mouthpiece has reported. 2022 November 9, Verna Yu, “Xi Jinping tells China’s army to focus on preparation for war”, in The Guardian:
   • Rightwing media mouthpieces and ICE get both barrels in South Park’s latest zeitgeist-capturing satire. 2025 August 7, Zach Vasquez, “From puppy murder to racist podcasts: South Park’s anti-deportation episode is utterly ruthless TV”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
6. (slang) A lawyer for the defense.
   • The Robber had angrily demanded his mouthpiece and when the lawyer had finally been allowed to get to them they had been automatically sprung. 1954, Ian Fleming, “Death of a Pelican”, in Live and Let Die, London: Pan Books, published 1957, page 151:

Forms

Deriveds

mouthpieced

Translations (76)

ga béalóg (part of a wind instrument) · sv munstycke (part of a telephone) · bg глашатай (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · no talerør (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · es boquilla (part of a wind instrument) · fi tiedottaja (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · da talsmand (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · ru ора́тор (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · fr microphone (part of a telephone) · vi phát ngôn viên (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · ru вырази́тель (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · it portavoce (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · is málpípa (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · grc ὅλμος (part of a wind instrument) · nl spreekbuis (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · de Sprachrohr (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · no talsperson (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · es micrófono (part of a telephone) · hu szócső (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · fr embouchure (part of a wind instrument) · de Sprechkapsel (part of a telephone) · bg микрофон (part of a telephone) · he שׁוֹפָר (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · tl hihipan (part of a wind instrument) · no telefonrør (part of a telephone) · it imboccatura (part of a wind instrument) · hu szószóló (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · de Sprechmuschel (part of a telephone) · pl rzecznik (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · pl ustnik (part of a wind instrument) · ru ру́пор (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · fi mikrofoni (part of a telephone) · fi edustaja (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · hu fúvóka (part of a wind instrument) · ga béal (part of a telephone) · es bocal (part of a wind instrument) · sv språkrör (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · hu szóvivő (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · cmn 傳聲筒 /传声筒 (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · bg мундщук (part of a wind instrument) · is málgagn (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · es portavoz (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · da talsrør (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · el επιστόμιο (part of a wind instrument) · el μικρόφωνο τηλεφώνου (part of a telephone) · ru мундшту́к (part of a wind instrument) · de Mundstück (part of a wind instrument) · pt bocal (part of a wind instrument) · ru тру́бка (part of a telephone) · el φερέφωνο (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · nl microfoon (part of a telephone) · fi puolustusasianajaja (lawyer for the defense) · pt porta-voz (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · csb mùńsztuk (part of a wind instrument) · fi puhemies (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · ca embocadura (part of a wind instrument) · fr porte-paroles (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · ru глаша́тай (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · ja マウスピース (part of a wind instrument) · fi suukappale (part of a wind instrument) · cmn 喉舌 (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · uk мундшту́к (part of a wind instrument) · dsb powědańska mušla (part of a telephone) · dsb gubawka (part of a wind instrument) · nl mondstuk (part of a wind instrument) · fr micro (part of a telephone) · th กระบอกเสียง (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · nn munnstykke (part of a wind instrument) · nb munnstykke (part of a wind instrument) · ko 마우스피스 (part of a wind instrument) · es embocadura (part of a wind instrument) · da mundstykke (part of a wind instrument) · pl rzeczniczka (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · fr porte-parole (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · no talsmann (spokesman who speaks on behalf of someone else) · ar مَبْسَم (part of a wind instrument)