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
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
There is even a colloquialism for those who curry favor among the moneyed on the island of Palm Beach.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
It’s been a year of chaos and colloquialisms, as the internet shaped not only our vocabulary but our entire political system.
—Kate Lindsay, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for colloquialism
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
There is even a colloquialism for those who curry favor among the moneyed on the island of Palm Beach.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
It’s been a year of chaos and colloquialisms, as the internet shaped not only our vocabulary but our entire political system.
—Kate Lindsay, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for colloquialism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colloquialism
Noun
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Many rank-and-file enlistees were also recent immigrants, and patriot regiments hummed with a cacophony of different tongues, accents, and dialects throughout the war.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
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To embody the Like a Rolling Stone singer, the actor trained extensively, including five years of preparation, to learn to sing as well as play guitar and harmonica, and to work with dialect and movement coaches to make his performance feel authentic.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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This tactic can be especially useful for listing AI-relevant skills that may be written using specific terminology.—
Ethan Stone,
Ascend Agency,
29 Oct. 2025
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Last year, Jimmy didn’t even know any defensive terminology.—
Jon Conahan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In a similar vein, Timnit Gebru, a computer scientist writing during her time working at Google, warned of the dangers of large language models acting as stochastic parrots, which repeat language patterns without understanding, and in doing so replicate the biases embedded in their training data.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
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The dust-up stems back to the Spanish singer’s recent appearance on the New York Times’ Popcast, where she was asked about singing in about 13 different languages one her new album Lux and the challenges of communicating with a global audience.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Though the idiom of abuse has changed, the critics are as hostile as ever, while their targets react only with curious torpor.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
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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
Noun
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That knowledge includes minute details about the princesses’ different personalities, hand gestures, vocabulary and voices.—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
11 Nov. 2025
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But, at the same time, in adopting the vocabulary of modernism, Rauschenberg took on a language that his heart didn’t speak.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Combining 1980s cumbia and salsa with urban and Andean sounds, lyrics that highlight Ecuadorian slang and identity, and a recognizable deep voice, Machaka stands out for his freshness and authenticity.—
Tere Aguilera,
Billboard,
29 Oct. 2025
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Today on the show, San Francisco slang.—
Darian Woods,
NPR,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Colloquialism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colloquialism. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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