1
: a mark ˜ placed especially over the letter n (as in Spanish señor sir) to denote the sound \nʸ\ or over vowels (as in Portuguese irmã sister) to indicate nasality
2
a
: the mark used to indicate negation in logic and the geometric relation "is similar to" in mathematics
b
: the mark used to indicate an approximate value

Examples of tilde in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The list of ironists is hard to pin down, but Slate’s Josh Greenman resurrected the upside-down exclamation point (¡), and typographer Choz Cunningham, among others, suggested using a period followed by a tilde to tell readers that a sentence should be read beyond its literal meaning. Casey Fedde, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Mar. 2023 When the marketing department scratched a highlighter yellow tilde over the N in NFL Thursday to commemorate the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month, the NFL— excuse me — the ÑFL accomplished its goal. Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY, 16 Sep. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, from Medieval Latin titulus tittle

First Known Use

circa 1864, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tilde was circa 1864

Dictionary Entries Near tilde

Cite this Entry

“Tilde.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tilde. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

: a mark ˜ placed especially over the letter n (as in Spanish señor) to indicate a sound that is approximately \ny\
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