as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
a trendy London restaurant serving bizarre concoctions that anyone with a brain and a stomach would dismiss as codswallop
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Recent Examples of codswallop
Great story, total codswallop, says Skaife, who has pored through the archives and found zip.
—
William Booth, The Seattle Times, 26 Oct. 2018
And don’t forget codswallop, a word that sounds Shakespearean but was coined in 1959.
—Stephen Miller, WSJ, 29 May 2018
Mnuchin tried to double-talk this codswallop past SPW.
—Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 19 May 2017
William Booth, The Seattle Times, 26 Oct. 2018
And don’t forget codswallop, a word that sounds Shakespearean but was coined in 1959.
—Stephen Miller, WSJ, 29 May 2018
Mnuchin tried to double-talk this codswallop past SPW.
—Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 19 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for codswallop
Noun
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The mother had died of tuberculosis the previous year and there were no siblings, which was a tremendous benefit in my mother’s eyes—no one to fill her ears with nonsense.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
-
After the usual avalanche of draft-week nonsense, and enough misinformation to fog up half the league, the noise gives way to the decisions.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Mulhouse Public Prosecutor Nicolas Heitz speaks to the press after a boy was discovered naked and malnourished on a pile of rubbish in a van where he had been kept locked up, in Hagenbach, eastern France, on April 10, 2026.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Stony rubbish, dead trees, the odd corpse in the garden—nothing that couldn’t be absorbed back into the earth.—
Caroline Fraser,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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For example, the EV mandate would be imposed on a company like Waste Management which pays the local government a franchise fee for the exclusive right to provide garbage collection services to all the residents.—
Jon Coupal,
Oc Register,
18 Apr. 2026
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But the temporary solution for many buildings is asking residents to fill in as volunteer cleaners, garbage schleppers, and greeters.—
Anne Kadet,
Curbed,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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According to registered dietitians, a mix of nuts, especially pistachios, and dried tart cherries is the healthiest late-night snack.—
Lynn Andriani,
Martha Stewart,
19 Apr. 2026
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Many whole foods are naturally gluten-free, including fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Piccioli sent out a mishmash of styles from all over a fashion map that seems to have been drawn five or six years ago (oversize sneakers, faux couture gestures like capes and feathers and blah sportswear).—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
10 Mar. 2026
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Selling was easy, even if the returns for McMann and Laughton in particular were kinda blah and the Leafs were unable to execute any major roster shakeup or take advantage of their ability to retain salary.—
Jonas Siegel,
New York Times,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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That men like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk are entrusted with businesses of tectonic influence can be difficult to understand, but their cults of personality have been able to survive scrutiny, perhaps because the money itself is too imposing a firewall for their own stupidity to penetrate.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
19 Apr. 2026
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Eric Swalwell, a prominent Democratic House member and a front-runner in the race for California governor, had his political career blown up by allegations of degeneracy and abject stupidity.—
Michelle Cottle,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Time to stop the silliness with the opener and start him.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
18 Apr. 2026
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Levy and Taylor Ortega play disorganized siblings who get thrust into the world of organized crime, a departure from the world of Schitt’s Creek, but still maintains the silliness and fun of a Dan Levy show.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
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His jowls had dragged ropes of drool.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
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The evidence is irrefutable — a pile of drool atop a drenched spot on your pillow.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Codswallop.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/codswallop. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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