take the words out of someone's mouth

English

Verb

take the words out of someone's mouth (third-person singular simple present takes the words out of someone's mouth, present participle taking the words out of someone's mouth, simple past took the words out of someone's mouth, past participle taken the words out of someone's mouth)

1. To say what someone else was about to say themselves.

Usage notes

• Often used with right: take the words right out of someone's mouth.

Translations

Translations

• Finnish: viedä sanat jonkun suusta
• French: arracher les mots de la bouche (fr), enlever les mots de la bouche, ôter les mots de la bouche
• German: das Wort aus dem Mund nehmen
• Hungarian: a számból vetted ki a szót (you took ... out of my ...)
• Italian: togliere le parole di bocca, levare le parole di bocca
• Polish: wyjmować z ust impf, wyjąć z ust (pl) pf
• Portuguese: tirar as palavras da boca (pt)
• Spanish: quitar las palabras de la boca

See also

• put words in someone's mouth

Further reading

• “take the words out of someone's mouth”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “take the words out of sb s mouth”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
• “take the words out of someone's mouth”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.