as in phrases
a sequence of words having a specific meaning
the English idiom "how are you doing?" is our version of a greeting that in some other languages can be translated as "how are you going?"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 idioms
The Western musical tradition is mostly sidelined in favor of kuduro, gqom, batida, and sounds too free of familiar musical idioms to be easily categorized.
—
Will Lynch, Pitchfork, 11 May 2026
If the assignment is to translate something from a foreign language, there are plenty of tools and resources that can do it for you, including by recognizing and figuratively translating idioms.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 25 Mar. 2026
Those books introduced me to a vision of American teenage life and taught me the rhythms and idioms of American English, nuances that would later replace my Britishisms and shape my career as a journalist.
—Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
Like fellow North Carolinians Wednesday and MJ Lenderman—local stars descended from the likes of Lucinda Williams and Drive-By Truckers—Dowdy carves complex new visions into the idioms of his upbringing.
—Jenn Pelly, Time, 4 Dec. 2025
For decades, the Grisons had printed textbooks in five Romansh idioms—a baroque solution that invited a more rational one.
—Simon Akam, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
The one with its idioms and bite?
—Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025
Music unites the interconnecting stories in this saga and expands its passions, with a sumptuous score by composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens that taps into a wide range of American styles, idioms and amalgams, even as the second act turns more dissonant.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
The way in which Scottish morsels and intangibles alike have managed to break their way through the train's windowed barrier, from idioms and folk tales to cans of Tennent's.
—Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2025
Will Lynch, Pitchfork, 11 May 2026
If the assignment is to translate something from a foreign language, there are plenty of tools and resources that can do it for you, including by recognizing and figuratively translating idioms.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 25 Mar. 2026
Those books introduced me to a vision of American teenage life and taught me the rhythms and idioms of American English, nuances that would later replace my Britishisms and shape my career as a journalist.
—Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
Like fellow North Carolinians Wednesday and MJ Lenderman—local stars descended from the likes of Lucinda Williams and Drive-By Truckers—Dowdy carves complex new visions into the idioms of his upbringing.
—Jenn Pelly, Time, 4 Dec. 2025
For decades, the Grisons had printed textbooks in five Romansh idioms—a baroque solution that invited a more rational one.
—Simon Akam, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
The one with its idioms and bite?
—Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025
Music unites the interconnecting stories in this saga and expands its passions, with a sumptuous score by composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens that taps into a wide range of American styles, idioms and amalgams, even as the second act turns more dissonant.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
The way in which Scottish morsels and intangibles alike have managed to break their way through the train's windowed barrier, from idioms and folk tales to cans of Tennent's.
—Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idioms
phrases
Noun
-
After the breakdown plunges into a low-pass filter, the song emerges out the other hand with a fully fledged vocal, lyrics and all—a relatively rarity in Willner’s world of half-syllables and blurred phrases.—
Andrew Ryce,
Pitchfork,
18 May 2026
-
The chats are of a wide variety and do not appear to contain any obvious triggering words or phrases.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idioms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idioms. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
