dialect
noun
di·a·lect
ˈdī-ə-ˌlekt 
often attributive
1
linguistics
a
: a regional variety of language distinguished by features of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation from other regional varieties and constituting together with them a single language
the Doric dialect of ancient Greek
a dialect of Chinese spoken in Hong Kong
b
: one of two or more cognate (see cognate entry 1 sense 3a) languages
French and Italian are Romance dialects
c
: a variety of a language used by the members of a group
such dialects as politics and advertising—
Philip Howard
Philip Howard
d
: a variety of language whose identity is fixed by a factor other than geography (such as social class)
spoke a rough peasant dialect
f
: a version of a computer programming language
2
: manner or means of expressing oneself : phraseology
Synonyms
Examples of dialect in a Sentence
They speak a southern dialect of French.
The author uses dialect in his writing.
The play was hard to understand when the characters spoke in dialect.
Recent Examples on the Web
The body of water first showed up on European maps in the 1500s and has had at least 32 names in different languages and dialects throughout the years.
—Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
Much of the driving dialogue is in Irish, and most importantly, in the Ulster dialect.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 29 Dec. 2024
Latgalian, often claimed to be merely a dialect of Latvian, was discouraged and stamped out from the media and public sphere under nationalist rule in the 1930s.
—The Dial, 17 Dec. 2024
As the country expanded west in the 19th century, white settlers from the East Coast moved inland, bringing their regional dialects with them.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dialect 
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Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
Much of the driving dialogue is in Irish, and most importantly, in the Ulster dialect.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 29 Dec. 2024
Latgalian, often claimed to be merely a dialect of Latvian, was discouraged and stamped out from the media and public sphere under nationalist rule in the 1930s.
—The Dial, 17 Dec. 2024
As the country expanded west in the 19th century, white settlers from the East Coast moved inland, bringing their regional dialects with them.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dialect
Dictionary Entries Near dialect
Cite this Entry
“Dialect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dialect. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dialect
noun
di·a·lect
ˈdī-ə-ˌlekt
1
: a regional variety of a language differing from the standard language
2
: a variety of a language used by the members of a particular group or class
peasant dialect
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