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
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
And, like any colloquialism popularized by an internet trend, celebs, brands and even the president himself cashed in on the sensation.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 28 Dec. 2024
Kam understood the regional colloquialism assignment!
—Cindi Andrews and Katie Wissman, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for colloquialism
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
And, like any colloquialism popularized by an internet trend, celebs, brands and even the president himself cashed in on the sensation.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 28 Dec. 2024
Kam understood the regional colloquialism assignment!
—Cindi Andrews and Katie Wissman, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for colloquialism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colloquialism
Noun
-
Pat picked up Spanish and the local dialect of the region.—
Nell Salzman,
Chicago Tribune,
31 July 2025
-
Such expressions of moral clarity are rare, though, in an age of confusion and endlessly contested facts that has been harnessed by the Netanyahu government, which speaks a fluent dialect of the MAGA language of politics.—
Ian Crouch,
New Yorker,
28 July 2025
Noun
-
International responses are often hampered by terminology.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Aug. 2025
-
While some of the terminology is different, Pinnock achieved his goal of not undergoing a radical system change.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
29 July 2025
Noun
-
The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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The possibilities which animate my stories live right there in the language of seventeenth-century laws.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
He’s been talking about replacing it with a permanent ballroom for a long time, in his usual Dictator Chic idiom.—
Christopher Bonanos,
Curbed,
1 Aug. 2025
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This could be in Elsbeth’s usual light and fizzy idiom or perhaps a brief foray into Scandi-noir.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The cataclysmic effect of her unexpected arrival suggests that soon her vocabulary will expand to include more such ominous language.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
14 Aug. 2025
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Your specific tone, vocabulary and messaging frameworks—the elements that make your content distinctly yours—can easily get lost.—
Cheryl Ragland,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Algorithmic social media is driving the creation of new slang at a breakneck pace.—
Allison Parshall,
Scientific American,
15 Aug. 2025
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These systems can interpret regional slang, idioms and context-specific expressions, hence minimizing both over-censorship and under-enforcement.—
Anees Ali Khan,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Colloquialism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colloquialism. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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