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
Many learners struggle with deciding whether to focus on MSA or a regional dialect, which impacts their ability to communicate effectively in real-world scenarios.
—Geoffrey Alphonso, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
Koine Greek—the dialect of the New Testament—was then the lingua franca of the eastern-Mediterranean world, although, of course, familiarity with it ranged from erudite scholarship to learning a few words for the sake of haggling in the marketplace.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 5 May 2025
Aruba is culturally rich, with diverse ethnicities and dialects, including one of their native languages, Papiamentu, a common creole language spoken on the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 1 May 2025
That required Israeli intelligence officers with expertise in different dialects to review and correct its work, one of the officers said.
—Sheera Frenkel, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dialect
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Geoffrey Alphonso, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
Koine Greek—the dialect of the New Testament—was then the lingua franca of the eastern-Mediterranean world, although, of course, familiarity with it ranged from erudite scholarship to learning a few words for the sake of haggling in the marketplace.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 5 May 2025
Aruba is culturally rich, with diverse ethnicities and dialects, including one of their native languages, Papiamentu, a common creole language spoken on the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 1 May 2025
That required Israeli intelligence officers with expertise in different dialects to review and correct its work, one of the officers said.
—Sheera Frenkel, New York Times, 25 Apr. 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 22 May. 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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