loanword

Definition of loanwordnext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of loanword Which brings us to the ménage à trois — for some things, only a French loanword will do — between Hayley, Yasmin, and Henry, which exists at the opposite end of the boundary-setting spectrum. Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 26 Jan. 2026 For instance, people, a French loanword, may be spelled peple, pepill, poeple, or poepul. Big Think, 10 Apr. 2025 The newest dictionary additions include loanwords from Southeast Asia, South Africa and Ireland. Peter Guo, NBC news, 27 Mar. 2025 In fact, Mandarin itself used thousands of loanwords from Japanese and English when new disciplines such as sociology and natural science entered China’s curricula a mere century ago. Tenzin Dorjee, Foreign Affairs, 28 Nov. 2023 During this period, more than 10,000 loanwords from French entered the English language, mostly in domains where the aristocracy held sway: the arts, military, medicine, law and religion. Phillip M. Carter, Fortune Well, 12 June 2023 Most English loanwords borrow from languages that, like English, use the Latin alphabet. Sarah Bunin Benor, The Conversation, 21 May 2020 With the mega-success of Starbucks and its various coffee competitors, BARISTA has transformed from a somewhat niche Italian loanword to a term most everyone not only knows but uses regularly. Ryan P. Smith, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Dec. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for loanword
Noun
  • These neologisms weren’t just clever.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025
  • Podcasts, newsletters, and Words of the Year have popularized neologisms, etymologies, and usage trends.
    Stefan Fatsis, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Lydians are widely recognized as the inventors of coinage, helping to make their capital, Sardis, synonymous with fabulous wealth in the ancient Mediterranean.
    Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 26 June 2026
  • The author, a professor named Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, proved to have a knack not just for provocative legal essays but for coinages, too.
    Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Noun
  • The exhibit’s title is derived from a Spanish colloquialism.
    Uwa Ede-Osifo, Dallas Morning News, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Ways to learn a new language Apps are a good way to learn the basics and proper pronunciation, but many colloquialisms, abbreviations and grammatically informal expressions used by fluent or native speakers aren’t taught on apps or in language classes.
    Cody Godwin, USA Today, 12 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • The Execution Crisis Defined Rasmus Holst, CEO of Zensai, describes it without euphemism.
    Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 9 June 2026
  • Willmett and Harris are clearly uninterested in euphemisms, so there’s an exaggerated naivety to their lyrics.
    Alex Robert Ross, Pitchfork, 8 June 2026
Noun
  • Either way, Angela’s slip is definitely showing in terms of behind-the-scenes messiness (seriously, enough is enough with the cheating stories!
    Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 29 June 2026
  • In recent days, after Museveni was sworn in for a seventh consecutive term, Kainerugaba has strengthened his grip with a series of directives and orders usually reserved for the head of state.
    Rodney Muhumuza, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026
Noun
  • On this resolutely French island, the interior showcases Italian classic modernism, with furniture by Molteni and a sculptural Minotti kitchen.
    Sarah Turner, Robb Report, 25 June 2026
  • Heritage Madurai in Madurai, Tamil Nadu Heritage Madurai is located on 17 acres that were renovated in a tropical modernism style, pioneered by renowned Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa in the 1970s to counter the extreme weather that is typical in the area.
    Rumit Mehta, Travel + Leisure, 22 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Loanword.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loanword. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.

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