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
The fine line between being relatable to your audience and appearing unprofessional by going against consumer preferences to formality by using slang, colloquialisms, or informalities can potentially damage brand growth with both new and existing consumers.
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Gary Drenik, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024
The colloquialism refers to the rare nature of the actual blue moon.
—Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 16 Aug. 2024
Early entrance exams were heavily biased toward American customs and colloquialisms, putting first-generation immigrants at a disadvantage.
—Sarah Stoller / Made By History, TIME, 11 July 2024
My Spanish included Puerto Rican colloquialisms, Salvadoran sentence structure, and university-level Castilian vernacular.
—Katty Huertas, Washington Post, 29 Oct. 2023
See all Example Sentences for colloquialism 
Gary Drenik, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024
The colloquialism refers to the rare nature of the actual blue moon.
—Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 16 Aug. 2024
Early entrance exams were heavily biased toward American customs and colloquialisms, putting first-generation immigrants at a disadvantage.
—Sarah Stoller / Made By History, TIME, 11 July 2024
My Spanish included Puerto Rican colloquialisms, Salvadoran sentence structure, and university-level Castilian vernacular.
—Katty Huertas, Washington Post, 29 Oct. 2023
See all Example Sentences for colloquialism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colloquialism
Noun
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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
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Much of the driving dialogue is in Irish, and most importantly, in the Ulster dialect.Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 29 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The situation was, to use Kraft’s terminology this week, untenable.Chad Graff, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
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Judge John Robert Blakey held a charge conference for attorneys on Jan. 2, when prosecutors and the defense teams discussed terminology used in the indictment.Jim Talamonti | The Center Square contributor, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 5 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Part of the reason behind that was to control for differences between morphologically rich languages, where a single word may correspond to multiple words in morphologically simple languages.Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 15 Jan. 2025
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Some 240 people work there in various tech startups, AI incubators and food science labs, conducting research and business in at least 14 languages.Ann Abel, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
Noun
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For instance, the grammar and translation method has been modernized to help students grasp complex concepts like abstract words, idioms and metaphors.Geoffrey Alphonso, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
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As romantic nationalism surged, scholars travelled the country collecting fairy tales, folk songs, local idioms, and traditional crafts.Caitlyn Murphy, Hazlitt, 18 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Gone will be the complex vocabulary that has often kept these issues in the hands of technical teams.Andrew Fingerman, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
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At Notre Dame, the Irish use similar vocabulary and techniques on defense and special teams.Matt Baker, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Anchored by Hailee Steinfeld’s charmingly sly title performance, the series cleverly enmeshes Dickinson’s indelible poetry with everyday frustrations (parents, crushes), world-historical occasions (the Civil War) and thoroughly modern slang.Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2025
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Both the real and digital worlds are constantly evolving, and Gen Alpha (and the generations after them) will continue to bring in their own slang and cultural references, which often leave older generations feeling out of the loop.Gilda D'Incerti, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near colloquialism
Cite this Entry
“Colloquialism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colloquialism. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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