Definition of "jawbone" in English

noun

1. (countable) The bone of the lower jaw; the mandible.

2. (countable) Any of the bones in the lower or upper jaw.

3. (countable, singular or plural, music) A shaken musical instrument (an idiophone) made from the jawbone of an animal and shaken such that the teeth vibrate in their sockets to produce sound.

4. (uncountable, slang, archaic) Credit.

verb

1. (ambitransitive) To talk persistently in an attempt to persuade somebody to cooperate.

2. (transitive) (especially of regulatory agencies) To try to persuade (someone) through implied threats of punitive action, such as tighter regulatory control.