dialect
noun
di·a·lect
ˈdī-ə-ˌlekt 
often attributive
1
linguistics
a
: a regional variety of language distinguished by features of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation from other regional varieties and constituting together with them a single language
the Doric dialect of ancient Greek
a dialect of Chinese spoken in Hong Kong
b
: one of two or more cognate (see cognate entry 1 sense 3a) languages
French and Italian are Romance dialects
c
: a variety of a language used by the members of a group
such dialects as politics and advertising—
Philip Howard
Philip Howard
d
: a variety of language whose identity is fixed by a factor other than geography (such as social class)
spoke a rough peasant dialect
f
: a version of a computer programming language
2
: manner or means of expressing oneself : phraseology
Examples of dialect in a Sentence
They speak a southern dialect of French.
The author uses dialect in his writing.
The play was hard to understand when the characters spoke in dialect.
Recent Examples on the Web
Pat picked up Spanish and the local dialect of the region.
—Nell Salzman, Chicago Tribune, 31 July 2025
Such expressions of moral clarity are rare, though, in an age of confusion and endlessly contested facts that has been harnessed by the Netanyahu government, which speaks a fluent dialect of the MAGA language of politics.
—Ian Crouch, New Yorker, 28 July 2025
The model represents a significant milestone in open AI development, offering multilingual fluency in over 1,000 languages and dialects.
—Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Look for loot and get a glimpse of life in the historic Marolles district south of the city center, once famous for the increasingly rare local dialect, Brusseleer, a.k.a.
—New York Times, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for dialect
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Nell Salzman, Chicago Tribune, 31 July 2025
Such expressions of moral clarity are rare, though, in an age of confusion and endlessly contested facts that has been harnessed by the Netanyahu government, which speaks a fluent dialect of the MAGA language of politics.
—Ian Crouch, New Yorker, 28 July 2025
The model represents a significant milestone in open AI development, offering multilingual fluency in over 1,000 languages and dialects.
—Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Look for loot and get a glimpse of life in the historic Marolles district south of the city center, once famous for the increasingly rare local dialect, Brusseleer, a.k.a.
—New York Times, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for dialect
Cite this Entry
“Dialect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dialect. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dialect
noun
di·a·lect
ˈdī-ə-ˌlekt
1
: a regional variety of a language differing from the standard language
2
: a variety of a language used by the members of a particular group or class
peasant dialect
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