language

noun

lan·guage | \ ˈlaŋ-gwij

, -wij \

Definition of language

1a : the words, their pronunciation, and the methods of combining them used and understood by a community studied the French language

b(1) : audible, articulate, meaningful sound as produced by the action of the vocal organs

(2) : a systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings by the use of conventionalized signs, sounds, gestures, or marks having understood meanings the language of mathematics

(3) : the suggestion by objects, actions, or conditions of associated ideas or feelings language in their very gesture— William Shakespeare

(4) : the means by which animals communicate the language of birds

(5) : a formal system of signs and symbols (such as FORTRAN or a calculus in logic) including rules for the formation and transformation of admissible expressions

(6) : machine language sense 1

2a : form or manner of verbal expression specifically : style the beauty of Shakespeare's language

b : the vocabulary and phraseology belonging to an art or a department of knowledge the language of diplomacy medical language

c : profanity shouldn't of blamed the fellers if they'd cut loose with some language— Ring Lardner

3 : the study of language especially as a school subject earned a grade of B in language

4 : specific words especially in a law or regulation The police were diligent in enforcing the language of the law.

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About language

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Examples of language in a Sentence

How many languages do you speak? French is her first language. The book has been translated into several languages. He's learning English as a second language. a new word that has recently entered the language the formal language of the report the beauty of Shakespeare's language She expressed her ideas using simple and clear language. He is always careful in his use of language.

Recent Examples on the Web Forty-five percent of residents speak a language other than English at home. — New York Times, 18 Sep. 2021 The patterns in the woods become so obvious and consistent that reading the landscape becomes a bit like mastering a second language. — Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 17 Sep. 2021 Think of the control plane as a façade that speaks a familiar language understood by the users of Kubernetes - the developers and operators. — Janakiram Msv, Forbes, 15 Sep. 2021 Body positivity, when done well, helps today's tweens and teens create a new language and understanding around their changing bodies and self-image. — Elissa Strauss, CNN, 13 Sep. 2021 The drop-in program is designed to promote early language skills for ages birth to 24 months, accompanied by parents or caregivers. — courant.com, 3 Sep. 2021 Researchers found 92% of children had lost crucial language skills, like being able to describe a picture or write simple sentences. — Arkansas Online, 3 Sep. 2021 Researchers found 92% of children had lost crucial language skills, like being able to describe a picture or write simple sentences. — Krutika Pathi, ajc, 1 Sep. 2021 Startups are rushing to spin gold out of AI’s growing language skills. — Will Knight, Wired, 23 Aug. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'language.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.