set of one's jaw

noun

The manner of one's lower facial expression, especially as suggesting firm resolve, or intensity of thought or feeling.

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Meanings

noun
  1. set phraseThe manner of one's lower facial expression, especially as suggesting firm resolve, or intensity of thought or feeling.

    She saw anger in the very turn of his head and set of his jaw.

    1919, Mary Roberts Rinehart, chapter 30, in Long Live the King
    3 more examples

    But he made no audible comment, though his thoughts were as black as his brow and as grimly fashioned as the set of his jaw.

    1909, Louis Joseph Vance, chapter 18, in The Bronze Bell

    But it was the set of her jaw and the coolness in her green eyes that made me feel how really formidable she was.

    1946, Alice Marble, The Road to Wimbledon, C. Scribner's Sons, p. 154 (Google snippet view)

    From the set of his jaw and the flash in his eye, it is clear that he always expects to win.

    2005 September 5, Cassandra Jardine, “Worried? You bet, say the odd couple with an ocean to cross”, in Telegraph, UK, retrieved 07 Apr 2017
Cite this entry
APA

set of one's jaw. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/set%20of%20one's%20jaw

MLA

“set of one's jaw.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/set%20of%20one's%20jaw. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “set of one's jaw,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/set%20of%20one's%20jaw.

Source: set of one's jaw on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.