THROAT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does throat mean? 

• THROAT (noun)
  The noun THROAT has 4 senses:

1. the passage to the stomach and lungs; in the front part of the neck below the chin and above the collarbone

2. an opening in the vamp of a shoe at the instep

3. a passage resembling a throat in shape or function

4. the part of an animal's body that corresponds to a person's throat

  Familiarity information: THROAT used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• THROAT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The passage to the stomach and lungs; in the front part of the neck below the chin and above the collarbone

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

pharynx; throat

Hypernyms ("throat" is a kind of...):

tubular cavity (a cavity having the shape of a tube)

Meronyms (parts of "throat"):

clapper; glossa; lingua; tongue (a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity)

gustatory organ; taste bud; tastebud (an oval sensory end organ on the surface of the tongue)

nasopharynx (cavity forming the upper part of the pharynx)

oropharynx (cavity formed by the pharynx at the back of the mouth)

laryngopharynx (the lower part of the pharynx)

adenoid; Luschka's tonsil; pharyngeal tonsil; third tonsil; tonsilla adenoidea; tonsilla pharyngealis (a collection of lymphatic tissue in the throat behind the uvula (on the posterior wall and roof of the nasopharynx))

pharyngeal recess (a small recess in the wall of the pharynx)

Holonyms ("throat" is a part of...):

upper respiratory tract (the nose and throat and trachea)

alimentary canal; alimentary tract; digestive tract; digestive tube; gastrointestinal tract; GI tract (tubular passage of mucous membrane and muscle extending about 8.3 meters from mouth to anus; functions in digestion and elimination)

cervix; neck (the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body)

Derivation:

throaty (sounding as if pronounced low in the throat)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An opening in the vamp of a shoe at the instep

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("throat" is a kind of...):

opening (a vacant or unobstructed space that is man-made)

Holonyms ("throat" is a part of...):

shoe (footwear shaped to fit the foot (below the ankle) with a flexible upper of leather or plastic and a sole and heel of heavier material)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A passage resembling a throat in shape or function

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

the throat of a chimney

Hypernyms ("throat" is a kind of...):

passage (a way through or along which someone or something may pass)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The part of an animal's body that corresponds to a person's throat

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("throat" is a kind of...):

external body part (any body part visible externally)

 Context examples 

Inflammation of the throat most often caused by viral and bacterial infections.

(Pharyngitis, NCI Thesaurus)

My limbs ached, my chest heaved, I felt that my throat would burst for want of air, and yet with that horror behind me I ran and I ran and ran.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A disorder marked by anemia caused by iron deficiency, and a web-like growth of membranes in the throat that makes swallowing difficult.

(Paterson-Kelly syndrome, NCI Dictionary)

A disorder characterized by inflammation of the throat.

(Pharyngitis, NCI Thesaurus/CTCAE)

That they’d come aboard and cut our throats?

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

That villainous stuff seems still to linger round my throat.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It has the same tiny wound in the throat as has been noticed in other cases.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

It can cause coughing, throat irritation, worsening of asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema.

(Ozone, Environmental Protection Agency)

Air passes through it on the way to your throat as you breathe.

(Nasal Cancer, NIH: National Cancer Institute)

A question about an individual's mucus in mouth or throat at its worst.

(Mucus in Mouth and Throat at its Worst, NCI Thesaurus)