as in phrase
a sequence of words having a specific meaning
the English idiom "how are you doing?" is our version of a greeting that in some other languages can be translated as "how are you going?"
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of idiom
The centuries-old pot-kettle idiom points out hypocrisy — as when one person accuses another of a flaw that afflicts himself.
—
Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
Far from being confessional, the women of Under a Pannonian Sky present a poetic idiom that cultivates silence and irony, one that is haunted by history and personal tragedy without being beholden to identity.
—Ange Mlinko, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026
This further underscored the symbiotic relationship between Humphreys and smooth jazz, an idiom not held in high regard by the person booking the concerts.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
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, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for idiom
Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
Far from being confessional, the women of Under a Pannonian Sky present a poetic idiom that cultivates silence and irony, one that is haunted by history and personal tragedy without being beholden to identity.
—Ange Mlinko, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026
This further underscored the symbiotic relationship between Humphreys and smooth jazz, an idiom not held in high regard by the person booking the concerts.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
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, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for idiom
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idiom
Noun
-
Leo said in English, using a phrase often understood as referring to American exceptionalism.—
Nicole Winfield,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
-
One of them, named James Rogers, used the same phrases and nicknames Ryan had used in the past and knew information about her and her whereabouts at the time.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
At least that was my expression.—
David Sedaris,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Elder most recently served as vice president of brand strategy and creative expression at Purpose Brands, whose portfolio includes Anytime Fitness, Waxing the City, The Bar Method, Stronger U and Basecamp Fitness.—
Pioneer Press,
Twin Cities,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idiom.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idiom. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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