as in dialect
a word or phrase that is used mostly in informal speech; a colloquial expression
His English is very good, but he has trouble understanding certain colloquialisms.
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Recent Examples of colloquialism
This could involve helping systems learn colloquialisms and proper usages of terms.
—
Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Mar. 2025
You would be forgiven for assuming this a playful colloquialism, perhaps revealing a tenderness to the hunt.
—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
Black communities are usually at the creative vanguard, from Renaissance art movements to fashion and even colloquialisms.
—Jasmine Browley, Essence, 3 Mar. 2025
Every language has its dialects, and each dialect can have its unique spin on colloquialisms.
—Victoria Song, The Verge, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for colloquialism
Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Mar. 2025
You would be forgiven for assuming this a playful colloquialism, perhaps revealing a tenderness to the hunt.
—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
Black communities are usually at the creative vanguard, from Renaissance art movements to fashion and even colloquialisms.
—Jasmine Browley, Essence, 3 Mar. 2025
Every language has its dialects, and each dialect can have its unique spin on colloquialisms.
—Victoria Song, The Verge, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for colloquialism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colloquialism
Noun
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Most Kurds are Sunni Muslims, but the Kurdish population has diverse religious, cultural, social and political traditions, as well as a variety of dialects of the Kurdish language.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
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How could food from India’s 23 states — with multitudinous subregions and over a thousand dialects — ever be distilled into the generic naan, dal, butter chicken, dosa and sambar?—
Kalpana Mohan,
Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Sesame’s clinicians will also stay with the patient throughout any IMI RMA procedures to help translate medical terminology, provide emotional support, and offer any other care coordination needed.—
Anna Moeslein,
Glamour,
9 Mar. 2026
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College football disputes invented that terminology.—
Alex Kirshner,
New York Times,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Still, for distributors and exhibitors in the United States, bringing foreign-language films to theaters sometimes seems like an act of philanthropy, while French sales agent grumble about the low sales prices.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
9 Mar. 2026
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Foreign language films, documentaries, cross pollination with their music artists, and more producing are all on the table.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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Next to the particularities of place—the Midwest, the South—or enmeshed with it, are the particularities of language, of idiom, and ways of saying.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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So to get to be playing the character who originated a saying that is a huge part of my vocabulary — and that I’ve been so obsessed with for so long — is crazy.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Mar. 2026
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Rosanna Arquette has a major issue with Quentin Tarantino's vocabulary.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In 1993, Green started compiling 500 years of English slang by sifting through mountains of primary sources.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
19 Feb. 2026
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Blending Milanese slang with French and Arabic, his rhymes should bring a fresh energy to the event.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Colloquialism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colloquialism. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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