cheek-to-jowl

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

Meanings

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

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

  1. alternativeAlternative form of cheek by jowl.

    No matter whether a society operates at arm's length or cheek-to-jowl, the women look at each other more and stand a bit closer than do the men.

    2005, Peter S. Gardner, New Directions: Reading, Writing, and Critical Thinking, page 21
    2 more examples

    Previous to the above process, when the flight deck is packed cheek-to-jowl with aircraft, the deckedge and the forward elevators were used to bring aircraft from the hangar deck to the flight deck, up forward.

    2011, Edward Atkins, Flight Deck, Part 1, page 236

    By the time Jenny McCallum played “Rock of Ages,” the pews were packed cheek-to-jowl, little children were sitting on their mothers' laps, and young men were slouching against the wall the way they always do.

    2013, George Shaffner, The Widows of Eden
adjectivecheek-to-jowl (comparative more cheek-to-jowl, superlative most cheek-to-jowl)

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

  1. alternativeAlternative form of cheek by jowl.

    The 2007 anti-smoking law came as a breath of fresh air in France, making meals in cheek-to-jowl bistros far more enjoyable for those who prefer their foie gras without their neighbor's Gaulois an accompaniment.

    2011, Fodor's Dordogne & the Best of Southwest France
    2 more examples

    But the crowds, presumably more dispersed throughout the sprawling conference center here, looked thinner than last year's noticeably more cheek-to-jowl throng in Washington's smaller Marriott Wardman Park Hotel (H&FCL April 05).

    2004, Peter Hoffmann, Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Letter - Volumes 19-21, page 103

    A quick journey through Malibu, with its cheek-to-jowl oceanfront development, should be enough to convince even the harshest skeptics of the desirability of preserving as much as possible of the natural character of the remaining magnificent undeveloped coastal zone of California.

    2010, T.G. Berlincourt, Seaside Dream Home Besieged - Colour, page 17
Cite this entry
APA

cheek-to-jowl. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cheek-to-jowl

MLA

“cheek-to-jowl.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cheek-to-jowl. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cheek-to-jowl,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cheek-to-jowl.

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