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
South Asia is a region of vastly distinct dialects, ethnicities, and traditions.
—Prinita Thevarajah, Architectural Digest, 31 Oct. 2024
Additionally, creators can now customize voices to capture unique characteristics and variations of human speech, such as dialect, pace, pitch, tone, volume and more.
—Matt Hocking, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
Scholars say residents retain much of their African heritage — including a unique dialect and skills such as cast-net fishing and basket weaving — because of their separation from the mainland.
—CBS News, 21 Oct. 2024
Scholars say their separation from the mainland allowed residents to retain much of their African heritage, from their unique dialect to skills and crafts such as cast-net fishing and basket weaving.
—Russ Bynum, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dialect 
Prinita Thevarajah, Architectural Digest, 31 Oct. 2024
Additionally, creators can now customize voices to capture unique characteristics and variations of human speech, such as dialect, pace, pitch, tone, volume and more.
—Matt Hocking, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
Scholars say residents retain much of their African heritage — including a unique dialect and skills such as cast-net fishing and basket weaving — because of their separation from the mainland.
—CBS News, 21 Oct. 2024
Scholars say their separation from the mainland allowed residents to retain much of their African heritage, from their unique dialect to skills and crafts such as cast-net fishing and basket weaving.
—Russ Bynum, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dialect
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dialect.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near dialect
Cite this Entry
“Dialect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dialect. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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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