as in phrases
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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Recent Examples of idioms
Like fellow North Carolinians Wednesday and MJ Lenderman—local stars descended from the likes of Lucinda Williams and Drive-By Truckers—Dowdy carves complex new visions into the idioms of his upbringing.
—
Jenn Pelly, Time, 4 Dec. 2025
For decades, the Grisons had printed textbooks in five Romansh idioms—a baroque solution that invited a more rational one.
—Simon Akam, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
The one with its idioms and bite?
—Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025
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
The way in which Scottish morsels and intangibles alike have managed to break their way through the train's windowed barrier, from idioms and folk tales to cans of Tennent's.
—Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2025
The history of labor struggle, infused with religious idioms, is a source of identity and values evident in everything from union meetings in churches to prayers on picket lines.
—The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, analytical software has revolutionized linguistic inquiry, enabling greater understanding of the ways language works—when, how, and why words break out; the specific contexts for expressions and idioms.
—Stefan Fatsis, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2025
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
Jenn Pelly, Time, 4 Dec. 2025
For decades, the Grisons had printed textbooks in five Romansh idioms—a baroque solution that invited a more rational one.
—Simon Akam, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
The one with its idioms and bite?
—Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025
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
The way in which Scottish morsels and intangibles alike have managed to break their way through the train's windowed barrier, from idioms and folk tales to cans of Tennent's.
—Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2025
The history of labor struggle, infused with religious idioms, is a source of identity and values evident in everything from union meetings in churches to prayers on picket lines.
—The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, analytical software has revolutionized linguistic inquiry, enabling greater understanding of the ways language works—when, how, and why words break out; the specific contexts for expressions and idioms.
—Stefan Fatsis, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idioms
phrases
Noun
-
Without your seed phrases, that money is gone.—
Kim Komando The Kim Komando Show,
FOXNews.com,
6 Jan. 2026
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Although the wording included polite phrases, the anonymity left no room for conversation or compromise.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idioms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idioms. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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