1
as in proverb
an often stated observation regarding something from common experience
Mom's favorite byword is "You can get more flies with honey than with vinegar"
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2
as in classic
the most perfect type or example
nationally, Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive has become a byword for luxury retailing
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of byword
If there was a byword for United, aggressive would be Skinner’s choice.
—
Megan Feringa, New York Times, 10 Dec. 2025
How did hocus pocus transform from the stage name of a magician (and it should be said, an accomplished juggler, according to Ady) to a byword for the entire craft?
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 1 Oct. 2025
Auschwitz has become a byword for the mass murder and bestiality of the Nazi regime.
—Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2025
The melting of the vast polar ice sheets has become a byword for climate change; these giant frozen landscapes hold enough water to cause catastrophic sea level rise and are experiencing alarming changes as temperatures increase.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for byword
Megan Feringa, New York Times, 10 Dec. 2025
How did hocus pocus transform from the stage name of a magician (and it should be said, an accomplished juggler, according to Ady) to a byword for the entire craft?
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 1 Oct. 2025
Auschwitz has become a byword for the mass murder and bestiality of the Nazi regime.
—Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2025
The melting of the vast polar ice sheets has become a byword for climate change; these giant frozen landscapes hold enough water to cause catastrophic sea level rise and are experiencing alarming changes as temperatures increase.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for byword
Recent Examples of Synonyms for byword
Noun
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But perhaps the night’s theme was best summed up by a proverb, not from Italy, but Coventry’s native continent.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
7 Feb. 2026
-
And there’s a proverb, this idea of the secret of getting old.—
Renée Onque,
CNBC,
26 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Yeah, just stick to the classics.—
Emily Elias,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Hamburger bun croutons are the perfect finishing touch for this hearty take on a cookout classic.—
Jenna Sims,
Southern Living,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Mostly Mute Monday tells a scientific story in images, visuals, and no more than 200 words.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
23 Feb. 2026
-
The game’s objective is to group words or objects into four groups of four based on commonalities within each group as quickly as possible.—
Mark Cooper,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
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So, part of what is lost is the physical manifestation of these longer histories and heritages.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Feb. 2026
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This downtown store with genderless clothing, jewelry, ceramics, bags, and hats is the manifestation of René Holguin, a Ralph Lauren alum.—
Jason Sheeler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Politics ain’t beanbag, as the saying goes.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
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My accent and ways of saying signaled something different there, something other than modesty.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Microsoft’s $50 billion investment will, among other things, help to build the data centers crucial to providing the computing power needed to run AI models.—
Hanna Ziady,
CNN Money,
18 Feb. 2026
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Local designers will present an expert presentation on the slow fashion movement that addresses the urgent need to move towards more sustainable models in the fashion and retail industries.—
Ut Community Press,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
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At these Olympics, broadcast drones have given new life to the decades-old Olympic motto — faster, higher, stronger — translating it for the technological age.—
Rick Maese,
Washington Post,
9 Feb. 2026
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Our school motto was Faites vos désirs réalités.—
Hari Kunzru,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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For this Welsh immigrant family rose from nothing to produce an American icon who mastered a distinctly American art form — the ultimate apotheosis of the American Dream — and who is, ironically, the most miserable of them all.—
Ben Croll,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
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But the apotheosis of the ceremony arrived early, and had little to do with individual personalities.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Byword.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/byword. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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