second language
noun
: a language that is learned in addition to the language a person first learned as a young child
Examples of second language in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This is better for viewers who can hear, need comprehension help or have English as a second language.
—
Toby Wong, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
Asking questions of goalies, after all, has become a second language for many people in Toronto going back through Ilya Samsonov, Jack Campbell and Frederik Andersen.
—Joshua Kloke, The Athletic, 4 July 2024
Research shows that learning a second language can improve these areas of cognition:11
Attentional switching
Functional connectivity
Inhibition
Working memory
Play an Instrument
Learning to play an instrument is, in many ways, similar to learning a new language.
—Sarah Bence, Verywell Health, 24 Sep. 2024
Who among us doesn’t feel — either occasionally or always — like social codes are a chaotic second language that other people were born speaking like a mother tongue?
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for second language 
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.
Toby Wong, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
Asking questions of goalies, after all, has become a second language for many people in Toronto going back through Ilya Samsonov, Jack Campbell and Frederik Andersen.
—Joshua Kloke, The Athletic, 4 July 2024
Research shows that learning a second language can improve these areas of cognition:11
Attentional switching
Functional connectivity
Inhibition
Working memory
Play an Instrument
Learning to play an instrument is, in many ways, similar to learning a new language.
—Sarah Bence, Verywell Health, 24 Sep. 2024
Who among us doesn’t feel — either occasionally or always — like social codes are a chaotic second language that other people were born speaking like a mother tongue?
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for second language
Dictionary Entries Near second language
Cite this Entry
“Second language.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/second%20language. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share