as in mode
a distinctive way of putting ideas into words in the poet's somewhat affected locution, word order is often reversed and so we have "the sea serene"

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Examples of locution in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Confucius says—an old-fashioned locution, perhaps, but appropriate here—never to take interest in feats of strength. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024 That archly strangled locution, the ceaseless scorn: the vendor’s voice nags at the former Dean Street boy. Rachel Cusk, Harper's Magazine, 27 Sep. 2023 That mysterious locution and the lack of additional details raised the possibility that something more than the sniffles might be ailing the Boss. Stuart Munro, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Aug. 2023 In diplomatic memorandums, officials avoided the term military base; the preferred locution was joint communications facility. Cullen Murphy, The Atlantic, 15 June 2022 With its mess of divergent voices, picture-poems, and eccentric locutions, the result is baffling, beautiful, and always fascinatingly Notley. David Wallace, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2020 President Lyndon Baines Johnson was a retro Texan by birth and locution. Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, 2 Oct. 2019 Consider common appeals to allyship and altruism; such locutions convey a sort of optional quality, a moralistic tone, and unreliable trendiness. Astra Taylor, The New Republic, 26 Aug. 2019 On this night, Dylan made every word count, and sang with a blues master’s locution. Greg Kot, chicagotribune.com, 31 Oct. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'locution.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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“Locution.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/locution. Accessed 24 Oct. 2024.

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