as in language
the stock of words, pronunciation, and grammar used by a people as their basic means of communication
he spoke in a tongue that I didn't understand
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Recent Examples of tongue
Turning to shush it, Adele saw Dean with his tongue in her mother’s mouth and his hand up under her minidress.
—
Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Instead of taking up any of the ultra-limited floor space inside the cabin, or expanding that cabin into something larger and heavier that many buyers don't want to tow, Encore equips the ROG trailer with a deployable part-time bathroom inside a rugged cargo box up on the trailer tongue.
—New Atlas, 1 June 2026
Pits-in-place are fine for eating cherries out of hand, with teeth and tongue working to separate flesh from stone.
—Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 1 June 2026
This decision unfortunately led to more jokes and tongue planted firmly in cheek (akin to the slapstick reshooting of Superman II by Richard Lester for a more child-appealing and less ambitious approach than Richard Donner’s own Superman II footage before he was fired from the project).
—Mark Hughes, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tongue
Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Instead of taking up any of the ultra-limited floor space inside the cabin, or expanding that cabin into something larger and heavier that many buyers don't want to tow, Encore equips the ROG trailer with a deployable part-time bathroom inside a rugged cargo box up on the trailer tongue.
—New Atlas, 1 June 2026
Pits-in-place are fine for eating cherries out of hand, with teeth and tongue working to separate flesh from stone.
—Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 1 June 2026
This decision unfortunately led to more jokes and tongue planted firmly in cheek (akin to the slapstick reshooting of Superman II by Richard Lester for a more child-appealing and less ambitious approach than Richard Donner’s own Superman II footage before he was fired from the project).
—Mark Hughes, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tongue
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tongue
Noun
-
The titular bear, who communicates with the girl through language—seemingly telepathic—plays a crucial role in her survival.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
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The term English learners is defined by the Illinois State Board of Education as students who do not meet certain English proficiency standards and whose home language background is a language other than English.—
Addison Wright,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2026
Noun
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Before that first experience in 2016, ‘ayahuasca’ wasn't a part of my vocabulary.—
Michaela Trimble,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
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Developing a reading habit can broaden vocabulary, boost knowledge and stimulate the imagination.—
Sneha Dhandapani,
CNN Money,
6 June 2026
Noun
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Brig is in the Upper Valais, a gaunt and conservative place where the inhabitants speak Walliser German, an Alpine dialect that many Swiss people find unintelligible.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
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The contemporary entertainment industry pushes that logic into nearly grotesque territory, as film and TV productions compete against 24/7 internet feeds and a rapidly changing meme dialect designed to always leave someone out of the loop.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
31 May 2026
Noun
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The Suez Canal incident of March 2021 revealed the same pattern in a different idiom.—
Dr. Aditya Vikram Kashyap,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
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Probably because at the time many of the time signatures and chordal progressions that Miles used were over the head of a young guitar player still functioning in the blues and folk idioms.—
Steve Baltin,
Los Angeles Times,
25 May 2026
Video
An Abbreviated History of American English Spelling
Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut
Cite this Entry
“Tongue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tongue. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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