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
Early entrance exams were heavily biased toward American customs and colloquialisms, putting first-generation immigrants at a disadvantage.
—
Sarah Stoller / Made By History, TIME, 11 July 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for colloquialism 
Sarah Stoller / Made By History, TIME, 11 July 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for colloquialism
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 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
colloquialism
noun
col·lo·qui·al·ism
kə-ˈlō-kwē-ə-ˌliz-əm
1
: a colloquial expression
2
: colloquial style
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share