motto

as in proverb
a short sentence or phrase that expresses a rule guiding the behavior of a particular person or group "Hope for the best and prepare for the worst" is my motto. The Scout motto is "Be prepared."

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of motto The same motto was in used in Warsaw, Poland, on Wednesday when President Volodymyr Zelensky met Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who promised to accelerate Ukraine’s path to EU membership. Clare Sebastian, CNN, 16 Jan. 2025 Go hard or go home was Dalin’s motto during his record-smashing run. George Allen, Robb Report, 15 Jan. 2025 More than a decade after Friday Night Lights ended, Coach Taylor’s iconic motto still strikes a chord with Kyle Chandler. John Russell, People.com, 9 Jan. 2025 Sharing the ball was the motto of the night for the Broncos. Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 8 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for motto 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motto
Noun
  • But remember, where there’s fire, there’s smoke, which may be a reversal of the standard proverb but is highly relevant here.
    Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
  • To paraphrase an old proverb, the best time to connect the fights for trans and reproductive rights was decades ago.
    Colleen Hamilton, Them, 4 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • By Jamie Ducharme January 24, 2025 12:22 PM EST Everything is negotiable, as the saying goes—and that includes medical bills.
    Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 24 Jan. 2025
  • The saying is that even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then.
    Vic Tafur, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
    Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 29 Jan. 2025
  • Connections challenges players to uncover threads connecting a series of words.
    Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • As the footballing maxim goes, Diego Carlos often played to the level of the opponent.
    Jacob Tanswell, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
  • Christie’s 20th century evening sale on Tuesday, which totaled $486 million with a sell through rate of 92 percent by value and 83 percent by lot, certainly proved that maxim true.
    George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 20 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • The hope of deriving one set of rules, or axioms, to govern all mathematical truths was fatally undermined.
    Theodore McDarrah, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
  • The famous wrestler Sting, in describing his character change in 1996 from a clear babyface to a darker, enigmatic character, offered the perfect axiom about predicting the future.
    Richard Deitsch, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The director refused to commit to any one truth or mood, allowing for—and encouraging—myriad understandings.
    Emma Stefansky, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2025
  • The result is a powerful work of observation in which deep truths seem to arise almost by accident.
    The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Motto.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motto. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.

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