noun
- consonant sounds produced by using one or both lips
Usage: linguistics; phonetics
Examples
- The sounds /p/, /b/, and /m/ are common labials in English.
- Students practiced pronouncing labials by focusing on lip movement.
- Labials are among the first sounds babies learn to make.
- The speech therapist worked on labials with the young patient.
- In phonetics class, we studied how labials differ from dental sounds.
- Many languages have similar labials because they’re easy to produce.