cheek-by-jowl

A form of cheek by jowl — In very close physical proximity; crowded together; side by side.

Meanings

adverbcheek-by-jowl (comparative more cheek-by-jowl, superlative most cheek-by-jowl)

comparative more cheek-by-jowl · superlative most cheek-by-jowl

  1. alternativeAlternative form of cheek by jowl.

    LNER express trains old and new stand cheek-by-jowl at King's Cross during the evening rush hour on October 14.

    2022 November 2, Nick Brodrick, “Network News: 'Scotsman' the star attraction for KX's 170th birthday”, in Rail, number 969, page 20, photo caption
    5 more examples

    El-Amarna's crowded houses were separated not by wide streets, but by narrow, winding alleyways through piles of domestic garbage, in urban communities where everyone lived cheek-by-jowl.

    1995, Brian M. Fagan, Snapshots of the Past, page 64

    Allusions to primitive art, whether directly drawn from reference works or freely improvised in the artist's own dainty scenarios) nestle cheek-by-jowl with automatic doodles which in turn lead into approximations of highly abstract compositions.

    1998, Henry Moore, David Mitchinson, Celebrating Moore, page 161

    Obscure manuscripts and well-known texts reside cheek-by-jowl; so too, polished literary works and oral narratives.

    2004, Howard Schwartz, Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism, page xxxv

    In "The Dunwich Horror" the other-dimensional creatures are thwarted by the proper incantations, while witchcraft and the new Einsteinian universe appear cheek-by-jowl in "Dreams in the Witch House."

    2012, Darrell Schweitzer, Discovering H.P. Lovecraft, page 9

    [H]e [David Free] had made his peace with the idea of spending half-term cheek-by-jowl on a cruise ship with the world's biggest Titanic enthusiasts.

    2012 April 8, Helen Pidd, “The Titanic memorial cruise – ‘not a re-enactment’”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 11 Nov 2022
adjectivecheek-by-jowl (comparative more cheek-by-jowl, superlative most cheek-by-jowl)

comparative more cheek-by-jowl · superlative most cheek-by-jowl

  1. alternativeAlternative form of cheek by jowl.

    Notorious among these was the 'Slap-Up', a cheek-by-jowl community of 2,000 people sited to the west of town.

    2013, Daniel Gray, Stramash! Tackling Scotland's Towns and Teams, page 68
    2 more examples

    As we drove at breakneck speed through the streets, I could not help but be overwhelmed by the gaunt and desperate faces of the people, the endless squatter settlements of cheek-by-jowl, single-room shacks surrounded by ankle-deep mud, and the occasional glimpses of the rich apparently oblivious to the suffering around them.

    1991, Robert C. Linthicum, “Our City as the Abode of Satanic Principalities and Powers”, in City of God, City of Satan: A Biblical Theology of the Urban Church, Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Publishing House, →ISBN, part I (The City: Battleground), page 64

    The cells here take advantage of the cheek-by-jowl situations prevailing in tissues and make their Circus connections right at the points of contact.

    1999, Werner R. Loewenstein, The Touchstone of Life, page 250
Cite this entry
APA

cheek-by-jowl. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cheek-by-jowl

MLA

“cheek-by-jowl.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cheek-by-jowl. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cheek-by-jowl,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cheek-by-jowl.

Source: cheek-by-jowl on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.