in name
idiom
—used with a following statement to say that something is so by name or title but that is not the way things really are
The Emperor rules in name but not in fact.
She's my boss in name, but we're really more like partners.
Examples of in name in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Like the Los Angeles River, another river in name only.
—
Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2025
While similar in name and concept, the Underdeck project is not related to the Underline, a 10-mile park that has partially opened under Metrorail tracks south of the Miami River.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 9 Aug. 2025
Similarly ideological states of the communist variation were mostly either abolished long ago or preserved only in name.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 5 Aug. 2025
The former governor also starts out with a considerable advantage in name recognition, with 84 percent having a view — either favorable or unfavorable — of him, while only a third seemed to have a view of the RNC chief.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for in name
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Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2025
While similar in name and concept, the Underdeck project is not related to the Underline, a 10-mile park that has partially opened under Metrorail tracks south of the Miami River.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 9 Aug. 2025
Similarly ideological states of the communist variation were mostly either abolished long ago or preserved only in name.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 5 Aug. 2025
The former governor also starts out with a considerable advantage in name recognition, with 84 percent having a view — either favorable or unfavorable — of him, while only a third seemed to have a view of the RNC chief.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for in name
Cite this Entry
“In name.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20name. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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