as in dialect
a word or phrase that is used mostly in informal speech; a colloquial expression
His English is very good, but he has trouble understanding certain colloquialisms.
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Recent Examples of colloquialism
My Spanish included Puerto Rican colloquialisms, Salvadoran sentence structure, and university-level Castilian vernacular.
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Katty Huertas, Washington Post, 29 Oct. 2023
The word ‘choon’ is likely a colloquialism for tune—much like an ice-cream truck, a tuk-tuk bakery is fitted with a tune to attract customers along its path.
—Vidya Balachander, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Aug. 2023
Every concert is filled with tens of thousands of fans wearing and exchanging beaded bracelets spelling out the names of Swift songs and colloquialisms all the way up their arms.
—Time, 23 Aug. 2023
However, as some social media users pointed out, the phrase used by Foxx is a common Black colloquialism to describe betrayal from a person meant to be one of your biggest supporters.
—Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 6 Aug. 2023
See all Example Sentences for colloquialism 
Katty Huertas, Washington Post, 29 Oct. 2023
The word ‘choon’ is likely a colloquialism for tune—much like an ice-cream truck, a tuk-tuk bakery is fitted with a tune to attract customers along its path.
—Vidya Balachander, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Aug. 2023
Every concert is filled with tens of thousands of fans wearing and exchanging beaded bracelets spelling out the names of Swift songs and colloquialisms all the way up their arms.
—Time, 23 Aug. 2023
However, as some social media users pointed out, the phrase used by Foxx is a common Black colloquialism to describe betrayal from a person meant to be one of your biggest supporters.
—Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 6 Aug. 2023
See all Example Sentences for colloquialism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colloquialism
Noun
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Jones and Brody learned Hungarian and worked with a dialect coach for the movie.Carole Horst, Variety, 17 Dec. 2024
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Turns out, dat good ole dialect is a put-on: James speaks like a professor.Rachel Flynn, People.com, 3 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Sometimes, they're stated in legal terminology that's hard to decipher.Hope Karnopp, Journal Sentinel, 20 Dec. 2024
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Mirror the terminology used in the job posting to reflect your alignment with the company’s objectives.Andrew Fennell, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
Noun
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For example, 22 policies (44.0%) did not include language stating that parents must be notified of incidents as soon as possible.Nolan McKendry | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 16 Dec. 2024
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Onto the page spilled more than ten thousand lines of the richest and most resourceful blank verse in the English language, arranged into ten books in 1667, then rearranged into twelve in 1674.Merve Emre, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Out of the box, human language is ambiguous and nuanced with idioms, sarcasm or cultural references, challenging LLMs to interpret correctly.Son Nguyen, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
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The versatile, always-all-in Mars is a worthy lodestar for Rosé and Rosie, an album that whirls through 21st-century pop idioms with aplomb even as its heroine ruminates on heartache and anxiety.Maura Johnston, Rolling Stone, 6 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Exposure to a broad vocabulary enhances language skills.Harrison Monarth, Forbes, 25 Dec. 2024
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Of the many topics Everett covers—which include space, number, and object categorization—the most fascinating is probably sensory vocabulary.Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
Noun
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From juggling after-school activities to trying to keep up with your teen's latest slang, raising children comes with its own set of stressors.Libby Ryan, Parents, 20 Dec. 2024
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Millennial slang was born out of early blogging platforms, text message shorthand and an of-its-time sense of humor, millennial slang has dominated conversations.Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near colloquialism
Cite this Entry
“Colloquialism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colloquialism. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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