jawbreaker

/ˈdʒɔːˌbreɪ.kər/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈdʒɑːˌbreɪ.kɚ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈjȯ-ˌbrā-kər/ (ame, mw)

jawbreaker — noun

  • jawbreakersingular
  • jawbreakersplural

1. A very hard ball-shaped candy that you suck for a long time instead of chewing q

1.名詞B2
釋義

A very hard ball-shaped candy that you suck for a long time instead of chewing quickly.

例句

Diya bought a giant jawbreaker at the fair and licked it all afternoon.

jawbreaker as a large candy you suck slowly

The shop near school sold jawbreakers in bright jars by the counter.

collocation: jawbreakers in jars at a shop

同義詞
  • hard candy

    broader term for solid candy; a jawbreaker is usually larger and rounder.

  • gobstopper

    very close in meaning; often used as a brand-like or playful name for the same kind of candy.

  • sweet

    British general term; much broader and not limited to this hard round candy.

文法句型

a jawbreaker

jawbreakers in a jar

suck a jawbreaker

用法筆記

Usually refers to an especially hard candy that is sucked slowly. If you mean a soft sweet or chocolate, use a more general word such as 'candy' or 'sweet' instead.

常見錯誤

❌I swallowed the jawbreaker in one bite.
✅I sucked the jawbreaker for several minutes.
💡a jawbreaker is normally too large and hard to chew or swallow quickly.

2. A short phrase or sentence that is hard to say quickly because the sounds trip y

2.名詞B2
釋義

A short phrase or sentence that is hard to say quickly because the sounds trip your mouth up.

例句

Christopher practised the jawbreaker about fresh fish before the school play.

jawbreaker as a phrase for speaking practice

The radio host ended the show with a jawbreaker for listeners to repeat.

collocation: end with a jawbreaker

同義詞
  • tongue twister

    the standard modern term; clearer and more common than 'jawbreaker' in this sense.

  • pronunciation drill

    more classroom-focused; stresses practice rather than humour.

  • verbal puzzle

    broader and less fixed; can include word games beyond repeated sounds.

文法句型

say a jawbreaker

repeat a jawbreaker

a jawbreaker about + topic

用法筆記

This sense is usually something people repeat for fun or for speaking practice. If the difficult thing is one word or name rather than a whole phrase, use sense 3 instead.

常見錯誤

❌Photosynthesis is my favourite jawbreaker.
✅Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers is my favourite jawbreaker.
💡this sense usually refers to a whole tricky phrase, not just one hard word.

3. A word whose sound pattern is awkward enough that many people stumble when they

3.名詞B2
釋義

A word whose sound pattern is awkward enough that many people stumble when they try to pronounce it.

例句

For many beginners, rural is a jawbreaker they avoid saying aloud.

jawbreaker meaning a single hard-to-pronounce word

Eliska turned the science term into a jawbreaker by reading too fast.

同義詞
  • mouthful

    informal; often used for a long or awkward word or name.

  • tricky word

    plain descriptive phrase; less colourful than 'jawbreaker'.

  • pronunciation trap

    informal and vivid; stresses the risk of saying it wrongly.

文法句型

be a jawbreaker

a real jawbreaker

mark the jawbreakers

用法筆記

This sense usually refers to one word or name that people trip over when speaking. If you mean a full playful phrase, sense 2 is a better fit.

常見錯誤

❌That whole sentence is a jawbreaker.
✅That long place name is a jawbreaker.
💡this sense usually points to one difficult word or name, not a full sentence.