maw

UK: /mɔː/ US: /mɔ/ ,(mô)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

maw¹ /mɔ/   n. [countable]

1. Zoology the mouth, throat, or stomach, esp. of a creature devouring everything:
   The huge maw of the monster opened wide.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

maw¹  (mô), n. 

1. the mouth, throat, or gullet of an animal, esp. a carnivorous mammal.
2. Birds the crop or craw of a fowl.
3. the stomach, esp. that of an animal.
4. a cavernous opening that resembles the open jaws of an animal:
   the gaping maw of hell.
5. the symbolic or theoretical center of a voracious hunger or appetite of any kind:
   the ravenous maw of Death.

• bef. 900; Middle English mawe, Old English maga; cognate with Dutch maag, German Magen, Old Norse magi

maw²  (mô), n. [Informal.]

1. Informal Terms mother.

• variant of ma

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

maw / mɔː/ noun

1. the mouth, throat, crop, or stomach of an animal, esp of a voracious animal
2. the mouth or stomach of a greedy person

Etymology: Old English maga; related to Middle Dutch maghe, Old Norse magi