as in phrase
a sequence of words having a specific meaning
the English idiom "how are you doing?" is our version of a greeting that in some other languages can be translated as "how are you going?"
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of idiom
The Suez Canal incident of March 2021 revealed the same pattern in a different idiom.
—
Dr. Aditya Vikram Kashyap,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Probably because at the time many of the time signatures and chordal progressions that Miles used were over the head of a young guitar player still functioning in the blues and folk idioms.
—
Steve Baltin,
Los Angeles Times,
25 May 2026
And why in the world would anyone composing after the Second World War reëmbrace the long-irrelevant late-Romantic idiom of Puccini and Strauss, with its lush harmonies, rich orchestration, and powerful melodies?
—
Russell Platt,
New Yorker,
20 May 2026
The Western musical tradition is mostly sidelined in favor of kuduro, gqom, batida, and sounds too free of familiar musical idioms to be easily categorized.
—
Will Lynch,
Pitchfork,
11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for idiom
Dr. Aditya Vikram Kashyap,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Probably because at the time many of the time signatures and chordal progressions that Miles used were over the head of a young guitar player still functioning in the blues and folk idioms.
—
Steve Baltin,
Los Angeles Times,
25 May 2026
And why in the world would anyone composing after the Second World War reëmbrace the long-irrelevant late-Romantic idiom of Puccini and Strauss, with its lush harmonies, rich orchestration, and powerful melodies?
—
Russell Platt,
New Yorker,
20 May 2026
The Western musical tradition is mostly sidelined in favor of kuduro, gqom, batida, and sounds too free of familiar musical idioms to be easily categorized.
—
Will Lynch,
Pitchfork,
11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for idiom
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idiom
Noun
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His Raising Cane’s work, titled Cane’s Anthem, continues the Pop-lite aesthetic, utilizing phrases and images that appear to be culled from the mass media.
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Anyway, this phrase survived my query letter, made it into my agent’s submission letter to editors, and ended up in my editor’s copy on the back of the book.
Noun
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Rhaenyra doesn't know what expression to wear when looking at her former childhood friend.
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Reynolds uses the modern expression culture war to describe the mutual antagonism; that feels right.
Cite this Entry
“Idiom.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idiom. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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