as in curse
a disrespectful or indecent word or expression
clapped her hands over the toddler's ears so he wouldn't hear the four-letter word
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of four-letter word
Never one to censor herself, Madonna's latest fashion statement can be summarized with a four-letter word.
—
Glenn Garner, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2023
What’s a four-letter word for funny, sweet, silly, huggable, wonderful, and mine?
—Angela Belt, House Beautiful, 2 Mar. 2023
In an audio excerpt, an air traffic controller can be heard uttering a four-letter word.
—Livia Albeck-Ripka, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2023
Mater Dei Catholic tennis coach Jose Oropeza says there is a four-letter word that is unacceptable on his team.
—Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Nov. 2022
See All Example Sentences for four-letter word
Glenn Garner, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2023
What’s a four-letter word for funny, sweet, silly, huggable, wonderful, and mine?
—Angela Belt, House Beautiful, 2 Mar. 2023
In an audio excerpt, an air traffic controller can be heard uttering a four-letter word.
—Livia Albeck-Ripka, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2023
Mater Dei Catholic tennis coach Jose Oropeza says there is a four-letter word that is unacceptable on his team.
—Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Nov. 2022
See All Example Sentences for four-letter word
Recent Examples of Synonyms for four-letter word
Noun
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The Cavs curse is simply an extension of their ongoing tension.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
25 May 2026
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Clark’s father is a DJ as well as the author of a five-part comic series in which the protagonist, a misunderstood boy, is faced with killing newfound friends to break a curse, according to the father’s Facebook account and online book reviews.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 May 2026
Noun
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Today, unfortunately, civics has become a dirty word.—
KEN BURNS,
Rolling Stone,
19 May 2026
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Sometimes nostalgia can be a dirty word, and Tiga avoids a wholesale rehash of his earlier work by recalibrating his sound to incorporate multiple other electronic genres.—
Cameron Cook,
Pitchfork,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The catalog runs to more than 400 Chinese-language, 200 English-language and 50 Korean titles spanning variety, reality and comedy.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
26 May 2026
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His novels have been translated into twenty different languages.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
Noun
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The event finds more than 20,000 people participating in an annual bar crawl throughout the city while dressed in their best holiday attire, tackiest Santa Claus costumes, and ugliest Christmas swears.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
15 Apr. 2026
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Kennedy could be heard hurling swears at the Swedish team.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Four-letter word.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/four-letter%20word. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
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