watchwords

plural of watchword
1
as in words
a word or phrase that must be spoken by a person in order to pass a guard the watchword is changed every day

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in slogans
an attention-getting word or phrase used to publicize something (as a campaign or product) their latest watchword turns up in every ad from that company

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for watchwords
Noun
  • She’s casually seated on a couch, soft-spoken, and sometimes pausing to search for the right words in English.
    Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 5 Sep. 2026
  • These are all words written by the men caught by Dateline NBC’s To Catch a Predator, the mid-2000s reality TV hit that staged sting operations to nab adults who wanted to have sex with minors.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Video showed locals draped in Spanish flags, shouting anti-migrant slogans, and singing Spanish songs, torching the camp and throwing migrants’ belongings in the Mediterranean or into bonfires.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The official account for the Pentagon’s chief technology officer, Emil Michael, has posted propaganda using Q catchphrases as military slogans.
    Matthew N. Hannah, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Businesses here are also trying to woo the sailors, with some putting up banners to welcome them.
    Mosheh Gains, NBC news, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Trump will depart sooner or later, the banners will be torn down and much of his petty talk will be and should be forgotten.
    Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Watchwords.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/watchwords. Accessed 9 Sep. 2026.

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