1
as in slogan
an attention-getting word or phrase used to publicize something (as a campaign or product)
we knew that their claim of giving "the best deal in town" was just a shibboleth
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2
as in cliche
an idea or expression that has been used by many people
there's a lot of truth in the shibboleth that if you give some people an inch, they'll take a mile
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Examples of shibboleth in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Nothing is sacrificed to the shibboleth of good taste.
—
Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023
Far from being a shibboleth of evil, the company is like any other trying to turn a profit in the Western world in 2023, which comes with its own issues and frustrations separate from the ones posited by Kristof in his viral article.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2023
Along with the shibboleth that a failure to dominate encourages cop killing, the nineties study helped implant a second myth in police culture as well—that stopping cars is exceptionally dangerous to officers.
—David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2023
Saka has blown up that racist shibboleth by demonstrating an innate tactical knowledge.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 13 Oct. 2022
See all Example Sentences for shibboleth 
Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023
Far from being a shibboleth of evil, the company is like any other trying to turn a profit in the Western world in 2023, which comes with its own issues and frustrations separate from the ones posited by Kristof in his viral article.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2023
Along with the shibboleth that a failure to dominate encourages cop killing, the nineties study helped implant a second myth in police culture as well—that stopping cars is exceptionally dangerous to officers.
—David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2023
Saka has blown up that racist shibboleth by demonstrating an innate tactical knowledge.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 13 Oct. 2022
See all Example Sentences for shibboleth
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shibboleth.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Shibboleth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shibboleth. Accessed 20 Sep. 2024.
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