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"
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of byword
That look has become a byword for French girl style and continues to influence designers like Hedi Slimane, who showcased his spring 2023 collection for Celine in Saint-Tropez.
—
Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 28 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
Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 28 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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What does the phrase squeaky bum time, the racehorse Devon Loch, and the Portuguese proverb ‘morrer na prais’ all have in common?—
Ian Irving,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
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The rooms The old Japanese proverb ‘*kachou fuugetsu’—*which translates as ‘flower, bird, wind, moon’ evoking a sense of the transient beauty of nature—is a key concept at the hotel.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Some modern takes on Mediterranean classics include a feta watermelon balsamic salad and Turkish bread panzanella salad.—
Ella Gonzales,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Mar. 2026
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His words evoke the image of an animal slithering on the ground before growing—an allusion that was likely intended as a gardening pun about reptiles, argues classics scholar Rebecca Armstrong.—
Andrés Muedano,
JSTOR Daily,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Mostly Mute Monday tells an astronomical story in images, visuals, and no more than 200 words.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
23 Mar. 2026
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March 21 – April 19 Speak what matters without rushing your words.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
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There are a few different ways to interpret this most recent manifestation of the Administration’s talent for hypocrisy.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
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Perhaps some paper manifestations just in time for the year of the Fire Horse.—
Xuan Juliana Wang,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This is just like the old saying, ‘pave paradise and put up a parking lot’.—
Erika I. Ritchie,
Oc Register,
22 Mar. 2026
-
While Haiti is the most mountainous country in the Caribbean, the saying is often used to reflect the immense and constant obstacles Haiti has had to overcome.—
Kathleen Rellihan,
Outside,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Meta spent 2025 overhauling its AI unit after the release of its Llama 4 family of AI models failed to captivate third-party developers.—
Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
25 Mar. 2026
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Russia will build two VVER-1200 reactors, Rosatom’s most successful export model, which also complies with the strictest international requirements, at the site.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
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That observation, made in a CharlotteFive feature on Brooks’ Sandwich House, could serve as the unofficial motto of a city that has spent the better part of two decades in a full sprint toward the future.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
20 Mar. 2026
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Arkansas has become a leader in this anti-democracy celebration, with a Legislature, governor, attorney general, and state Supreme Court not only ready, willing, and able, but downright eager to enact, implement, defend, and uphold legislation designed to make a mockery of our official motto.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
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After portraying Alabaster, down to his pearly-white surname, as the apotheosis of white male villainy, Cash deflates him by arguing, essentially, #NotAllMen.—
Malavika Kannan,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Byword.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/byword. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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