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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

oral

/ˈoɹəl/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 1:03
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What does oral mean?

adjective

  1. Relating to the mouth.
  2. Done or taken by the mouth.
  3. Pronounced by the voice resonating in the mouth, as the vowels in English.
More meanings (12)

adjective

  1. Relating to or denoting a stage of infantile psychosexual development during which libidinal gratification is derived from intake (as of food), by sucking, and later by biting.
  2. Of, relating to, or characterized by personality traits of passive dependency and aggressiveness.
  3. Spoken rather than written.
  4. Relating to the transmission of information or literature by word of mouth.
  5. Using speech or the lips especially in teaching the deaf.
  6. Not having reached the stage of literacy.

noun

  1. A spoken test or examination, particularly in a language class.
  2. A physical examination of the mouth.
  3. (informal) Ellipsis of oral sex.
  4. Ellipsis of oral steroid.

proper noun

  1. A male given name from Latin of American usage
  2. A city in Kazakhstan.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ˈoɹəl/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

He is merely selecting the stimuli supplied by the forms of the letters and the motor reactions of oral or written reproduction.
John DeweyDemocracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of EducationProject Gutenberg ebook #852
For more than half a century any citizen might have gratis the benefit of oral instruction from such a man as he.
John FiskeThe Unseen World, and Other EssaysProject Gutenberg ebook #1486
More book examples (3)
As such a large proportion of the scholars were poor, and unable to acquire books, nearly all the instruction given was oral.
Ernest Albert SavageOld English libraries : $b the making, collection, and use of books during the Middle AgesProject Gutenberg ebook #1615
A Party shall normally accept an oral declaration as to the principal place of business and the actual place of accrual of profits.
CanadaNorth American Free Trade Agreement, 1992 Oct. 7 Tariff Phasing DescriptionsProject Gutenberg ebook #89
But, inestimable as is the benefit we derive from books, there is something more searching and soul-stirring in the impulse of oral communication.
William GodwinThoughts on Man, His Nature, Productions and Discoveries Interspersed with Some Particulars Respecting the AuthorProject Gutenberg ebook #743