Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Definitions

cheek by jowl

ADVERB
in close proximity
Synonyms
WEAK
arm in arm beside one another by the side of cheek to cheek close close together crowded hand in glove hand in hand on one side shoulder to shoulder side by side very intimate yardarm to yardarm

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Staff and residents sat cheek by jowl chatting to each other.

From BBC • Jun. 29, 2025

Ruoff’s team has already used it to make diamond films composed of thousands of tiny crystals packed cheek by jowl.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 24, 2024

And instead of being crammed cheek by jowl in the press section, reporters, along with the justices’ law clerks, are spaced throughout the otherwise-empty chamber.

From Washington Post • Jan. 7, 2022

The voices of 36 choristers mix with the organ, a trumpet, a baritone horn, a violin, cymbals and the thundering timpani, as 400 congregants, packed cheek by jowl, join in.

From New York Times • Dec. 20, 2020

I'd be in the big state hospital in the country, cheek by jowl to this private place.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath