Meaning & use
mouth of babes
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
Used to say that young children often say something surprisingly wise or true.
Grammar: Comes from the fixed expression 'out of the mouths of babes'; it is used as a comment, usually on its own or after a surprising remark by a child.
Patterns
- out of the mouths of babes
- out of the mouths of babes and sucklings
When my four-year-old asked why grown-ups argue so much, I thought: out of the mouths of babes.
She said the simplest, kindest thing anyone had said all week — mouth of babes, really.
'Out of the mouths of babes,' he murmured as his daughter pointed out the flaw in his plan.
phrasecountable
A child's remark that is unexpectedly clever, honest, or revealing.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase, often with 'a': a real mouth-of-babes moment.
Patterns
- a mouth-of-babes moment
His question about why we give money to strangers was a genuine mouth-of-babes moment.
The interview was full of mouth-of-babes comments that made the adults stop and think.
Common combinations
- out of the mouths of babes
- Out of the mouths of babes — the child had summed up the whole problem in one sentence.
- a mouth-of-babes moment
- It was a mouth-of-babes moment when the boy asked who really decides what is fair.
- mouths of babes and sucklings
- The older, fuller version, 'out of the mouths of babes and sucklings,' comes from the Bible.
Synonyms and how they differ
- kids say the darnedest things
- An informal American saying with a similar idea, but it stresses funny or odd remarks rather than wisdom.
Word family
- babe noun
- A baby or young child; the old-fashioned word that appears in this phrase.
Commonly confused: mouth of babes or baby mouth?
mouth of babes vs baby mouth
Not an English idiom; only 'out of the mouths of babes' is the fixed expression.
Practice
Which sentence uses the expression correctly?
Choose one answer.
The expression comments on a surprisingly wise or honest remark, usually from a child, as in option A. The other options treat it as a literal phrase about mouths or as a normal verb phrase, which it is not.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mouth of babes”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.