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
Synonyms
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
Bailey, whose delicate features immediately evoke Rowling’s own, has worked with a dialect coach to get the author’s Gloucestershire accent down pat.
—Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 July 2024
The movie had several consultants on Native American culture, and Native American actors who learned the White Mountain Apache dialect for the roles.
—Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 28 June 2024
But soon after its release, Nemo realized that writing and performing songs in their native dialect could only get them so far.
—Stephen Daw, Billboard, 26 June 2024
Nor are their pronunciations in line with standard American English dialects.
—Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 16 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for dialect 
Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 July 2024
The movie had several consultants on Native American culture, and Native American actors who learned the White Mountain Apache dialect for the roles.
—Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 28 June 2024
But soon after its release, Nemo realized that writing and performing songs in their native dialect could only get them so far.
—Stephen Daw, Billboard, 26 June 2024
Nor are their pronunciations in line with standard American English dialects.
—Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 16 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for dialect
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dialect.' 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 dialect
Cite this Entry
“Dialect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dialect. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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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