as in phrases
a sequence of words having a specific meaning
the English idiom "how are you doing?" is our version of a greeting that in some other languages can be translated as "how are you going?"
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Recent Examples of idioms
If the assignment is to translate something from a foreign language, there are plenty of tools and resources that can do it for you, including by recognizing and figuratively translating idioms.
—
Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 25 Mar. 2026
Those books introduced me to a vision of American teenage life and taught me the rhythms and idioms of American English, nuances that would later replace my Britishisms and shape my career as a journalist.
—Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
Like fellow North Carolinians Wednesday and MJ Lenderman—local stars descended from the likes of Lucinda Williams and Drive-By Truckers—Dowdy carves complex new visions into the idioms of his upbringing.
—Jenn Pelly, Time, 4 Dec. 2025
For decades, the Grisons had printed textbooks in five Romansh idioms—a baroque solution that invited a more rational one.
—Simon Akam, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
The one with its idioms and bite?
—Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025
Music unites the interconnecting stories in this saga and expands its passions, with a sumptuous score by composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens that taps into a wide range of American styles, idioms and amalgams, even as the second act turns more dissonant.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
The way in which Scottish morsels and intangibles alike have managed to break their way through the train's windowed barrier, from idioms and folk tales to cans of Tennent's.
—Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2025
The history of labor struggle, infused with religious idioms, is a source of identity and values evident in everything from union meetings in churches to prayers on picket lines.
—The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2025
Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 25 Mar. 2026
Those books introduced me to a vision of American teenage life and taught me the rhythms and idioms of American English, nuances that would later replace my Britishisms and shape my career as a journalist.
—Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
Like fellow North Carolinians Wednesday and MJ Lenderman—local stars descended from the likes of Lucinda Williams and Drive-By Truckers—Dowdy carves complex new visions into the idioms of his upbringing.
—Jenn Pelly, Time, 4 Dec. 2025
For decades, the Grisons had printed textbooks in five Romansh idioms—a baroque solution that invited a more rational one.
—Simon Akam, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
The one with its idioms and bite?
—Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025
Music unites the interconnecting stories in this saga and expands its passions, with a sumptuous score by composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens that taps into a wide range of American styles, idioms and amalgams, even as the second act turns more dissonant.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
The way in which Scottish morsels and intangibles alike have managed to break their way through the train's windowed barrier, from idioms and folk tales to cans of Tennent's.
—Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2025
The history of labor struggle, infused with religious idioms, is a source of identity and values evident in everything from union meetings in churches to prayers on picket lines.
—The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idioms
phrases
Noun
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Swift, who declined to comment, has among the most extensive trademark portfolios in the entertainment industry, with more than 170 active or pending registrations spanning names, phrases and commercial designations.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Mar. 2026
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Ethan began learning to express himself through a combination of short spoken phrases and pointing to icons on a tablet.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idioms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idioms. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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