profanity
noun
, prə-\
Definition of profanity
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Synonyms for profanity
Synonyms
curse, cuss, cussword, dirty word, expletive, four-letter word, obscenity, swear, swearword, vulgarism
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Examples of profanity in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The man walked toward police and shouted profanities at them. — Bob Sandrick, cleveland.com, "Creepy, crawling, zombie-like man arrested; shoplifter denies ownership of his own pants: Brook Park Police Blotter," 7 June 2019 Trump reversed course by the end of that week and used profanity to insult countries in Africa and the Caribbean. — Steven T. Dennis, Fortune, "Why Trump Ally Lindsey Graham Is Also the Democrats' Go-To Guy," 7 June 2019 Police say witnesses on scene told officers that the incident started when Mills was sitting on a bench, shouting profanities regarding the train. — Laney Ruckstuhl, BostonGlobe.com, "Man attacks MBTA worker at Alewife station," 4 June 2018 The witnesses said Clemons and Adams loudly shouted profanity at the Waffle House employees. — Alex Horton, chicagotribune.com, "A woman was tackled to the ground by police at a Alabama Waffle House. The police are defending the arrest.," 23 Apr. 2018 Both cars turned on their overhead lights as protesters, weaving through traffic, crowded around the first patrol car, waving signs and shouting profanities. — Alene Tchekmedyian, latimes.com, "Sheriff says deputy probably didn't realize he'd struck protester at Stephon Clark rally," 3 Apr. 2018 There, while shouting profanities and yelling for 40 minutes at police and nursing staff, Goodlad thrashed about so violently that police thought the bed railings to which his arms were secured were going to break, the complaint said. — Jim Riccioli, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Waukesha man charged following violent struggle with bar staff and police after he was kicked out of tavern," 22 Mar. 2018 Authorities in this ultraconservative kingdom once sent Mohamed Al-Ghamdi to jail for making hip-hop videos laced with profanity. — Donna Abdulaziz, WSJ, "For Saudi Arabia’s Growing Hip-Hop Scene, It’s Tricky," 10 Aug. 2018 The next post described, with detail and profanity, how her mother Dee Dee had been killed and how Gypsy Rose herself had been raped. — Alexis Jones, Marie Claire, "How True Is 'The Act'? The Hulu Series' Backstory Is Chilling," 20 Mar. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'profanity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
What the #@*% Is a ‘Grawlix'?
What the #@*% Is a ‘Grawlix'?
You’ll be amazed by the answer, we swear.
Dictionary Entries near profanity
Statistics for profanity
Last Updated
18 Jun 2019
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Time Traveler for profanity
The first known use of profanity was in 1563
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More Definitions for profanity
profanity
noun
English Language Learners Definition of profanity
See the full definition for profanity in the English Language Learners Dictionary
profanity
noun
\
Kids Definition of profanity
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