swearword

noun

ˈswer-ˌwərd How to pronounce swearword (audio)
Definition of swearwordnext
as in curse
a disrespectful or indecent word or expression this is a list of swearwords that are not permitted on this radio program

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 swearword The swearword wasn’t mentioned in the rest of the email. — Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 29 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swearword
  1. curse
  2. swear
  3. expletive
  4. language
  5. profanity
  6. epithet
  7. vulgarism
Noun
  • King portrays her older daughter, Kylie, who sets out to break the family’s curse, and Williams steps into the shoes of the younger daughter, Antonia.
    — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026
  • But the Owens family’s 300-year-old curse carries one generation forward, striking Sally’s daughter Kylie and her lover (Xolo Maridueña), who gets hit by a car while bicycling with several bouquets of roses.
    — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of curse
Noun
  • The pinky swear proved binding, as Nelson wrote the screenplay within six weeks.
    — William Earl, Variety, 15 July 2026
  • Why fill with swears a show that might otherwise have been appointment viewing for the whole family?
    — Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 31 May 2026
Definition of swear
Noun
  • As Hwang and her partner placed the ticket on the car’s windshield and were returning to their vehicle, the vehicle’s owner approached, yelling expletives and ripping the citation to pieces.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026
  • Instead of simply letting the girls enjoy the game, Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton confronted them and unleashed a string of expletives.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of expletive
Noun
  • Speaking to Radio Jornalera NJ, an independent Spanish language media outlet, Lopez-Cornejo’s mother, María, said her son took medication for diabetes, high blood pressure, and seizures.
    — Alex Stambaugh, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
  • That language was taken from an earlier regulatory proposal that went before a Quorum Court committee, the Kutak Rock attorney noted.
    — Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of language
Noun
  • The crowds ignored the best efforts of the protest leaders to act as disciplinary conductors and reveled in their own playful spontaneity, their slogans and posters heaping colorful profanities on the prime minister.
    — Asim Ali, Time, 1 Aug. 2026
  • During a match at the Miami Open, Vasek Pospisil delivered a profanity-laden tirade against the leader of the men’s tennis tour, the ATP.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 25 July 2026
Definition of profanity
Noun
  • Communism is so dead in most of the world that using ‘communist’ as a political epithet sounds almost quaint.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
  • Social media has teemed with unsavory videos of Argentinean misbehavior in the stadiums, including fans hurling racial epithets at a Black American influencer and showering Egyptians with beer.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 16 July 2026
Definition of epithet
Noun
  • As the Oxford English Dictionary notes, the expression not hardly is considered a vulgarism.
    — NR Editors, National Review, 16 Apr. 2020
  • The British cringed over new American accents, coinages and vulgarisms.
    — Time, Time, 11 June 2019
Definition of vulgarism

Browse Nearby Words

swears in
swearword
swearwords
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Swearword.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swearword. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on swearword

Nglish: Translation of swearword for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of élan

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All