1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

paraphernalia

noun

ˌper-ə-fər-ˈnāl-yə How to pronounce paraphernalia (audio)
Definition of paraphernalianext
1
as in equipment
items needed for the performance of a task or activity mountain-climbing paraphernalia

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in possession
transportable items that one owns packed up all of their paraphernalia for the move across the country

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 paraphernalia The syringes and paraphernalia were discovered littered across the sands of Manasquan Beach in Manasquan, along the Jersey Shore, on Saturday. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026 Farther in was paraphernalia from a quarter millennium of Presidential campaigns, including Trump’s. — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 20 Aug. 2026 Eight other students were charged with misdemeanor counts of possession and paraphernalia. — Finch Walker, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026 The eight remaining student-age defendants face misdemeanor counts of possession and possession of drug paraphernalia, the office said. — Kevin Shalvey, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for paraphernalia
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paraphernalia
  1. equipment
  2. possession
  3. gear
  4. things
  5. apparatus
  6. belongings
  7. stuff
Noun
  • During our bass outing, Wing continually rammed submerged stumps and sent Dunn and his equipment sprawling.
    — Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Gabriele Polcari, a Formula Medicine physiotherapist working with Lucchini, stated that cooling equipment is merely a last line of defense, with fitness preparation being the primary focus.
    — Patrick Iversen, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of equipment
Noun
  • Western Michigan won the rushing battle and dominated time of possession, controlling the ball for more than 40 minutes.
    — Austin Meek, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Mensah capped that drive with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Toney and the two connected on a 2-yard score on the next possession with Toney punctuating both TDs with a Heisman pose for the Hurricanes fans in that corner of the stadium.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of possession
Noun
  • Paddle & Pour attendees do not need to own stand-up paddleboarding gear to participate — rentals are available to book ahead of time, for $50 per board.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The dishwasher-sized Mira can carry up to 660 pounds (300 kilograms) of gear and is highly maneuverable, as the recent rendezvous showed.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of gear
Noun
  • Erin then complains about her daughter and drones on about all sorts of things that no one can even pretend to care about.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2026
  • These were pretty innocuous in the grand scheme of things, but were hanging as a PR headache for Ferrari heading to its home race.
    — Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of things
Noun
  • The Bourne films questioned America’s surveillance and security apparatus in the wake of 9/11.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Both wore black turnout coats and pants marked with high-visibility stripes, steel-toed boots and breathing apparatuses.
    — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of apparatus
Noun
  • Michigan’s equipment truck arriving in Salt Lake City to haul the belongings of Whittingham’s assistant coaches underscored just how much Whittingham was taking with him.
    — Austin Meek, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • He was found three days later by his brother, with his belongings also stolen.
    — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of belongings
Noun
  • Especially younger voters need to learn why capitalism is better than socialism and why promises of free stuff by the left will come at a huge cost.
    — Cal Thomas, Arkansas Online, 8 Sep. 2026
  • This is the stuff that keeps my, and many, many others employed.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of stuff

Browse Nearby Words

parapets
paraphernalia
paraphrase
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Paraphernalia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paraphernalia. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of facsimile

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All