as in languages
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 tongues
Her debut turn alongside Jeremy Renner as a seductive escort got industry tongues wagging.
—
Alex Ritman, Variety, 15 Feb. 2026
When snowflakes began to fall, some stuck their tongues out and laughed, playfully nudging one another.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 4 Feb. 2026
Our comparatively small jaws opened the floodgates to all sorts of other issues, Ungar adds, including the sleep apnea epidemic, which occurs when our tongues don’t have enough room to wiggle around in our mouths.
—Sara Kiley Watson, Popular Science, 4 Feb. 2026
Farr wasn't completely certain that the cast and crew would be able to bite their tongues long enough to let the twist shock the world when episode 3 finally arrived.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
The main changes occur on the upper, which swaps out the shoe’s usual ballistic nylon for a full-leather construction that extends to the lace loops, heel tabs and tongues.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 24 Jan. 2026
These are just a few of the beauty effects that were on the tips of everyone's tongues in 2025.
—Jackie Fields, PEOPLE, 29 Dec. 2025
Madsen had to make sure the multilingual dialogue sounded pitch-perfect in many tongues, some of which are quite endangered.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 19 Dec. 2025
She had been seen without her wedding band on more than one occasion afterward, providing new fodder for wagging tongues.
—Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 13 Dec. 2025
Alex Ritman, Variety, 15 Feb. 2026
When snowflakes began to fall, some stuck their tongues out and laughed, playfully nudging one another.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 4 Feb. 2026
Our comparatively small jaws opened the floodgates to all sorts of other issues, Ungar adds, including the sleep apnea epidemic, which occurs when our tongues don’t have enough room to wiggle around in our mouths.
—Sara Kiley Watson, Popular Science, 4 Feb. 2026
Farr wasn't completely certain that the cast and crew would be able to bite their tongues long enough to let the twist shock the world when episode 3 finally arrived.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
The main changes occur on the upper, which swaps out the shoe’s usual ballistic nylon for a full-leather construction that extends to the lace loops, heel tabs and tongues.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 24 Jan. 2026
These are just a few of the beauty effects that were on the tips of everyone's tongues in 2025.
—Jackie Fields, PEOPLE, 29 Dec. 2025
Madsen had to make sure the multilingual dialogue sounded pitch-perfect in many tongues, some of which are quite endangered.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 19 Dec. 2025
She had been seen without her wedding band on more than one occasion afterward, providing new fodder for wagging tongues.
—Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 13 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tongues
Noun
-
The jobs in question include teachers of foreign languages, such as French, Mandarin and Spanish, elementary physical education, social studies, English and language arts.—
Kyle Martin,
Mercury News,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Like many young women of her generation, Lady Anne was educated at home by a governess and reportedly excelled at music and languages.—
Stephanie Bridger-Linning,
Vanity Fair,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Teams were asked to learn new interfaces, adopt new vocabularies, and take responsibility for outputs whose behavior remained probabilistic rather than deterministic.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The discovery of language skills in great apes — various gorillas and chimps learned substantial vocabularies in sign language or symbols — and that of tool use across the animal kingdom have, over the years, chipped away at the idea that there is any single ingredient that makes humans unique.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The event also featured a video about the three countries and fundraising for Sudan, poetry readings, a Kahoot game about the three dialects and prizes, henna and face painting, Syrian dance, a Sudanese wedding reenactment, a fashion show and ethnic food.—
Janice Neumann,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Each one is overflowing with the familiar sights of families taking a passeggiata, or stroll, the aromatic smells of fresh pasta and pizza napoletana, and the musical sounds of the Italian language and its many regional dialects.—
Giovanna Caravetta,
Travel + Leisure,
17 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Like fellow North Carolinians Wednesday and MJ Lenderman—local stars descended from the likes of Lucinda Williams and Drive-By Truckers—Dowdy carves complex new visions into the idioms of his upbringing.—
Jenn Pelly,
Time,
4 Dec. 2025
-
For decades, the Grisons had printed textbooks in five Romansh idioms—a baroque solution that invited a more rational one.—
Simon Akam,
New Yorker,
1 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tongues.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tongues. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
