as in curse
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
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Recent Examples of four-letter word
Never one to censor herself, Madonna's latest fashion statement can be summarized with a four-letter word.
—
Glenn Garner, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2023
What’s a four-letter word for funny, sweet, silly, huggable, wonderful, and mine?
—Angela Belt, House Beautiful, 2 Mar. 2023
In an audio excerpt, an air traffic controller can be heard uttering a four-letter word.
—Livia Albeck-Ripka, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2023
Mater Dei Catholic tennis coach Jose Oropeza says there is a four-letter word that is unacceptable on his team.
—Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Nov. 2022
See All Example Sentences for four-letter word
Glenn Garner, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2023
What’s a four-letter word for funny, sweet, silly, huggable, wonderful, and mine?
—Angela Belt, House Beautiful, 2 Mar. 2023
In an audio excerpt, an air traffic controller can be heard uttering a four-letter word.
—Livia Albeck-Ripka, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2023
Mater Dei Catholic tennis coach Jose Oropeza says there is a four-letter word that is unacceptable on his team.
—Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Nov. 2022
See All Example Sentences for four-letter word
Recent Examples of Synonyms for four-letter word
Noun
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Baseball has always been a sport that believes in the occult — in juju and curses and superstitions.—
Tim Rohan,
NBC news,
3 May 2026
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Mike Russo writes that, in breaking their curse, the Wild may have their best shot at a title in franchise history.—
James Mirtle,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Noun
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Sometimes nostalgia can be a dirty word, and Tiga avoids a wholesale rehash of his earlier work by recalibrating his sound to incorporate multiple other electronic genres.—
Cameron Cook,
Pitchfork,
20 Apr. 2026
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And got to Oura and pivoted into software right before that became a little bit of a dirty word.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The language of civil rights will always be most appealing to political minorities in search of procedural arguments to temper or frustrate the will of the majority.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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In late March, Tijuana officials introduced an English-language app known as the Emergency Button, or Botón de Emergencia.—
Alexandra Mendoza,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 May 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
Cite this Entry
“Four-letter word.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/four-letter%20word. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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