swear word

noun \ ˈswer-ˌwərd \

variants: or less commonly swearword

Definition of swear word

: a profane or obscene oath or word

Recent Examples of swear word from the Web

Back in those ancient days, people even had hobbies other than crafting unnecessary protest signs featuring a mix of exotic swear words and scary emojis.

— heather wilhelm, National Review, "The Last Gasps of Outrage Culture?," 26 Jan. 2018
For all their shock value, swear words are practical and elastic, capable of threatening aggression or coaxing a laugh.

— The Economist, "Foul playThe power of profane language," 25 Jan. 2018
Experiments show that swear words learned early are pulse quickeners, memory sharpeners and pain killers.

— emma byrne, Time, "The Absolute F-cking Best Swear Word For You," 23 Jan. 2018
His first word was a swear word, perhaps because Jordan was recalling how the Warriors annihilated the Clippers last season, beating L.A. by an average of 21.5 points.

— broderick turner, latimes.com, "Clippers seek to break 10-game losing streak to Golden State," 29 Oct. 2017
That punishment, popular with some parents a half-century or more ago, was often levied after a child uttered a swear word close enough for Mom or Dad to hear.

— maureen c. gilmer, Indianapolis Star, "Trump's NFL comments: Straight talk or vulgar language?," 25 Sep. 2017

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