colloquialism
noun
col·lo·qui·al·ism
kə-ˈlō-kwē-ə-ˌli-zəm 
1
a
: a colloquial expression
"Chicken out" is a colloquialism for "to lose one's nerve."
b
: a local or regional dialect expression
"Bodacious" originated as a Southern colloquialism.
2
: colloquial style
the appeal of the author's colloquialism
Examples of colloquialism in a Sentence
His English is very good, but he has trouble understanding certain colloquialisms.
Recent Examples on the Web
My Spanish included Puerto Rican colloquialisms, Salvadoran sentence structure, and university-level Castilian vernacular.
—
Katty Huertas, Washington Post, 29 Oct. 2023
The word ‘choon’ is likely a colloquialism for tune—much like an ice-cream truck, a tuk-tuk bakery is fitted with a tune to attract customers along its path.
—Vidya Balachander, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Aug. 2023
Every concert is filled with tens of thousands of fans wearing and exchanging beaded bracelets spelling out the names of Swift songs and colloquialisms all the way up their arms.
—Time, 23 Aug. 2023
However, as some social media users pointed out, the phrase used by Foxx is a common Black colloquialism to describe betrayal from a person meant to be one of your biggest supporters.
—Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 6 Aug. 2023
There's also Sophia Lillis' Doric, an eco-warrior druid, and Regé-Jean Page's Xenk, a paladin who does not traffic in colloquialisms.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 29 Mar. 2023
This 100 percent Shiraz stunner from Australia’s Barossa Valley is named for the local colloquialism for estate manager, Factor.
—Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 11 Nov. 2022
Years have passed, yet many Wisconsinites continue to refer to ATMs as TYME machines, a colloquialism that confounds the rest of the world to this day.
—Karl Ebert, Journal Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2022
Gundi means female thug, a Hindi colloquialism often used when referring to rebellious and independent women who live on their own terms.
—Tasnim Ahmed, Vogue, 12 Oct. 2022
Katty Huertas, Washington Post, 29 Oct. 2023
The word ‘choon’ is likely a colloquialism for tune—much like an ice-cream truck, a tuk-tuk bakery is fitted with a tune to attract customers along its path.
—Vidya Balachander, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Aug. 2023
Every concert is filled with tens of thousands of fans wearing and exchanging beaded bracelets spelling out the names of Swift songs and colloquialisms all the way up their arms.
—Time, 23 Aug. 2023
However, as some social media users pointed out, the phrase used by Foxx is a common Black colloquialism to describe betrayal from a person meant to be one of your biggest supporters.
—Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 6 Aug. 2023
There's also Sophia Lillis' Doric, an eco-warrior druid, and Regé-Jean Page's Xenk, a paladin who does not traffic in colloquialisms.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 29 Mar. 2023
This 100 percent Shiraz stunner from Australia’s Barossa Valley is named for the local colloquialism for estate manager, Factor.
—Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 11 Nov. 2022
Years have passed, yet many Wisconsinites continue to refer to ATMs as TYME machines, a colloquialism that confounds the rest of the world to this day.
—Karl Ebert, Journal Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2022
Gundi means female thug, a Hindi colloquialism often used when referring to rebellious and independent women who live on their own terms.
—Tasnim Ahmed, Vogue, 12 Oct. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'colloquialism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near colloquialism
Cite this Entry
“Colloquialism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/colloquialism. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
colloquialism
noun
col·lo·qui·al·ism
kə-ˈlō-kwē-ə-ˌliz-əm
1
: a colloquial expression
2
: colloquial style
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