as in proverb
a short sentence or phrase that expresses a rule guiding the behavior of a particular person or group
"Hope for the best and prepare for the worst" is my motto. The Scout motto is "Be prepared."
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Recent Examples of motto
My motto will be to seek first to understand before making decisions.
—
Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2025
Consistency over intensity is the Pvolve motto.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2025
That has always been my motto — that Panama is going to shine.
—Ingrid Fajardo, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2025
The motto in the NFL is 'next man up', and the 49ers are as equipped to deal with it as any team.
—Mark Kern, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for motto
Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2025
Consistency over intensity is the Pvolve motto.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2025
That has always been my motto — that Panama is going to shine.
—Ingrid Fajardo, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2025
The motto in the NFL is 'next man up', and the 49ers are as equipped to deal with it as any team.
—Mark Kern, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for motto
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motto
Noun
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The lyrics, some inspired by proverbs and biblical passages, convey the fervor of his first love with God, without losing his personal touch.—
Jessica Roiz,
Billboard,
17 Oct. 2025
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His tale has become a proverb for any outdoor fanatic who, despite all of the proper planning and preparation, is undone by forces more powerful than him or herself.—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The new space resembles the old, complete with walls covered in graffiti with names, sayings, and pictures of the old Post Bar.—
Susan Selasky,
Freep.com,
7 Nov. 2025
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Amish are part of the wider Anabaptist movement, which puts heavy emphasis on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, containing some of his most radical and counter-cultural sayings — to love enemies, live simply, bless persecutors, turn the other cheek and to endure sufferings joyfully.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But Obergefell, like many other who are concerned about the Supreme Court's conservative majority, takes little comfort in their words.—
Jason Lemon,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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Swayer is a spoken word poet and this is clear in her verse that is melodic on the page.—
Amber McBride,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Everything bops breezily along, stopping occasionally to have Dek growl maxims about strength through domination, and observe a decapitation or two.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
4 Nov. 2025
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Visitors who travel down a dirt road to The Hollow — named for the hollow-core concrete that made Mellor wealthy — can enter the compound through a dark, cavernous passage lined with neon signs illuminating maxims from the likes of Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and Flynn.—
Arthur Allen,
Miami Herald,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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His preference would be to find simpler axioms for quantum mechanics — intuitive principles that would let theorists re-derive the theory in a new form altogether.—
Daniel Garisto,
Quanta Magazine,
7 Nov. 2025
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Read More: Why Trump Didn't Deserve the Nobel Peace Prize The Russian President is a man who lives by the axiom: give an inch, take a mile.—
Luke McGee,
Time,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In truth, there were many factors behind the fall of the Soviet Union — Ronald Reagan’s Star Wars program and other geopolitical provocations, the drop in oil prices, drastic leadership mistakes like the war in Afghanistan, a misguided alcohol policy, and [Mikhail] Gorbachev’s reforms.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Nov. 2025
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In truth, the patriots’ path to victory was a near decade-long slog characterized by a string of strange bedfellows, strained alliances, and dramatic reversals.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Motto.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motto. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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