Examples of litmus in a Sentence
Will Bedingfield, WIRED, 28 Dec. 2023
Rahmani pointed to Smollett’s forfeiture of his $10,000 bond as a litmus not only for punishment but acceptance of the Foxx agreement.
—Fox News, 17 Mar. 2022
The 2023 roster will feature two players who could represent litmus tests for how aggressively the Sox will approach such extensions: righthander Brayan Bello and first baseman Triston Casas.
—Alex Speier, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Jan. 2023
The latest round of violence is seen by some as a litmus-test for Lapid, who took on the role of caretaker prime minister in June after the eight-party coalition of his predecessor, Naftali Bennett, collapsed.
—Paul Goldman, NBC News, 7 Aug. 2022
School choice emerged as a litmus-test issue for Republican primary voters.
—Corey Deangelis, National Review, 2 June 2022
As 2023 is set to begin, the MAGA movement remains formidable if splintered in terms of its goals and its litmus tests.
—Byrick Klein, Averi Harper, ABC News, 23 Dec. 2022
All that may signal that even for Republicans, now past the primaries, those stances aren't the same litmus tests.
—Anthony Salvanto, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus, CBS News, 14 Sep. 2022
Unlike in the United States, wearing a mask or getting a vaccine never became ideological litmus tests.
—Ben Dooley, BostonGlobe.com, 2 July 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'litmus.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Middle English litmose, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse litmosi herbs used in dyeing, from litr color (akin to Old English wlite brightness, appearance) + mosi moss; akin to Old English mōs moss
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing litmus
Dictionary Entries Near litmus
Cite this Entry
“Litmus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/litmus. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Medical Definition
litmus
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on litmus
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for litmus
Nglish: Translation of litmus for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about litmus
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