as in curses
a disrespectful or indecent word or expression
clapped her hands over the toddler's ears so he wouldn't hear the four-letter word
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for four-letter words
Noun
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Tens of millions of downloads deep, among discussions regarding ongoing bear curses and the quiet art of being a decent person, Drew Barrymore has asked about boogers and Jane Fonda has asked about hope.—
Brittany Delay,
Mercury News,
17 Apr. 2026 -
There are still deliveries of hate mail from conservative neighbors who disapprove of their lifestyle, and occasional drive-bys punctuated with curses yelled from car windows, but they’ve largely been accepted by the community.—
Stephanie Breijo,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The Final Jeopardy question, which fell under the world languages category, asked for the alphabetically first and last of South Africa's 12 official languages.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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When there is no war on, the shelter functions as a community center, complete with a Filipino church, a refugee health clinic, and retailers catering to customers in more than a dozen languages.—
Theia Chatelle,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The event finds more than 20,000 people participating in an annual bar crawl throughout the city while dressed in their best holiday attire, tackiest Santa Claus costumes, and ugliest Christmas swears.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
15 Apr. 2026
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Kennedy could be heard hurling swears at the Swedish team.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
23 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Four-letter words.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/four-letter%20words. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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