Meaning & use
moustache
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Meanings
nouncountableBritish
A strip of hair left to grow on a man's upper lip.
Grammar: Countable: he grew a moustache; both men had moustaches.
Patterns
- grow a moustache
- shave off a moustache
My grandfather had a neat grey moustache for fifty years.
He decided to shave off his moustache before the interview.
nouncountableinformalhumorous
A dark or colored mark above the upper lip, such as one left by a drink or on a child's face.
Grammar: Often used in a playful phrase such as a milk moustache.
Patterns
- a milk moustache
The toddler had a chocolate milk moustache.
After the smoothie, she wiped away her green moustache.
Word forms
| plural | moustaches |
|---|
Common combinations
- grow a moustache
- He decided to grow a moustache for charity.
- thick moustache
- The detective had a thick moustache.
- waxed moustache
- The magician twirled his waxed moustache.
- handlebar moustache
- The barber trimmed his handlebar moustache.
- shave off a moustache
- She laughed when he shaved off his moustache.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mustache
- Is the American spelling of the same word.
- whiskers
- Refers more widely to facial hair, especially on cheeks, and is also used for animals.
Opposites
Word family
- moustached adjective
- having a moustache
Commonly confused: moustache or mustache? moustache or beard?
moustache vs mustache
Mustache is the same word in American spelling.
moustache vs beard
A beard grows on the chin and cheeks, while a moustache grows only on the upper lip.
Practice
My dad has had a ______ since he was twenty, but he has never had a beard.
Choose one answer.
A moustache is facial hair on the upper lip, which contrasts with a beard. The other words do not fit the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “moustache”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.