idiom

noun

id·i·om | \ ˈi-dē-əm

Definition of idiom

1 : an expression in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself either grammatically (such as no, it wasn't me) or in having a meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements (such as ride herd on for "supervise")

2a : the language peculiar to a people or to a district, community, or class : dialect

b : the syntactical, grammatical, or structural form peculiar to a language

3 : a style or form of artistic expression that is characteristic of an individual, a period or movement, or a medium or instrument the modern jazz idiom broadly : manner, style a new culinary idiom

Synonyms The Makeup of Idioms More Example Sentences Learn More about idiom

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The Makeup of Idioms

If you had never heard someone say "We're on the same page," would you have understood that they weren't talking about a book? And the first time someone said he'd "ride shotgun", did you wonder where the gun was? A modern English-speaker knows thousands of idioms, and uses many every day. Idioms can be completely ordinary ("first off", "the other day", "make a point of", "What's up?") or more colorful ("asleep at the wheel", "bite the bullet", "knuckle sandwich"). A particular type of idiom, called a phrasal verb, consists of a verb followed by an adverb or preposition (or sometimes both); in make over, make out, and make up, for instance, notice how the meanings have nothing to do with the usual meanings of over, out, and up.

Examples of idiom in a Sentence

She is a populist in politics, as she repeatedly makes clear for no very clear reason. Yet the idiom of the populace is not popular with her. — P. J. O'Rourke, New York Times Book Review, 9 Oct. 2005 And the prospect of recovering a nearly lost language, the idiom and scrappy slang of the postwar period … — Don DeLillo, New York Times Magazine, 7 Sept. 1997 We need to explicate the ways in which specific themes, fears, forms of consciousness, and class relationships are embedded in the use of Africanist idiom … — Toni Morrison, Playing in the Dark, 1992 The expression “give way,” meaning “retreat,” is an idiom. rock and roll and other musical idioms a feature of modern jazz idiom

Recent Examples on the Web

The series, now in its eleventh season and on VH1, took what had been a subculture and exploded it, minting drag-queen stars, mainstreaming idioms, remaking Ru into a kind of self-help guru—and winning nine Emmys along the way. — Abby Aguirre, Vogue, "How the World Fell Head Over Heels for RuPaul," 15 Apr. 2019 Most Q&As with young authors simply bend their idiom to a coded language of salesmanship. — Christian Lorentzen, Harper's magazine, "Like This or Die," 10 Apr. 2019 Tanya Tagaq’s unique vocal stylings come from her own solo interpretations of Inuit throat singing, in a post-modern rock idiom. — Christopher Arnott, courant.com, "Arts & Ideas: We help you pick from the hundreds of concerts, shows, talks and tours," 4 June 2019 There’s a reason sausage-making is the idiom for unsavory processes. — Tamar Haspel, Vox, "Lab-grown meat and the fight over what it can be called, explained," 31 Aug. 2018 His work in this idiom was once unsparing in its aggression, but there’s now more room for delicacy. — Seth Colter Walls, New York Times, "Review: A Tour Through the Hyperactive World of John Zorn," 2 July 2018 The Quilted Giraffe translated the newest ideas from across the Atlantic into an American idiom at a time when even French chefs in New York hadn't quite caught up with nouvelle cuisine. — Jay Cheshes, Town & Country, "Caviar and Cocaine," 6 Feb. 2013 Mencken set out to describe and account for the differences, obvious and subtle, between English and American vocabulary, pronunciation, syntax, intonation, idiom, grammar, slang, euphemism and much more. — Joseph Epstein, WSJ, "We All Speak American," 10 Aug. 2018 Every character has a strikingly different movement idiom. — Alastair Macaulay, New York Times, "In ‘Firebird,’ the Choreographer’s Art Is in Storytelling," 15 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'idiom.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for idiom

idiom

noun

English Language Learners Definition of idiom

: an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words but that has a separate meaning of its own

: a form of a language that is spoken in a particular area and that uses some of its own words, grammar, and pronunciations

: a style or form of expression that is characteristic of a particular person, type of art, etc.

See the full definition for idiom in the English Language Learners Dictionary

idiom

noun

id·i·om | \ ˈi-dē-əm

Kids Definition of idiom

: an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words but must be learned as a whole The expression “give up,” meaning “surrender,” is an idiom.