Definition of IDIOMS (original) (raw)
1
: an expression in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself either in having a meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements (such as up in the air for "undecided") or in its grammatically atypical use of words (such as give way)
2
a
: the language peculiar to a people or to a district, community, or class : dialect
3
: a style or form of artistic expression that is characteristic of an individual, a period or movement, or a medium or instrument
Did you know?
If you had never heard someone say "We're on the same page," would you have understood that they weren't talking about a book? And the first time someone said he'd "ride shotgun", did you wonder where the gun was? A modern English-speaker knows thousands of idioms, and uses many every day. Idioms can be completely ordinary ("first off", "the other day", "make a point of", "What's up?") or more colorful ("asleep at the wheel", "bite the bullet", "knuckle sandwich"). A particular type of idiom, called a phrasal verb, consists of a verb followed by an adverb or preposition (or sometimes both); in make over, make out, and make up, for instance, notice how the meanings have nothing to do with the usual meanings of over, out, and up.
View more idiom examples, definitions, and origins
Synonyms
Examples of idiom in a Sentence
She is a populist in politics, as she repeatedly makes clear for no very clear reason. Yet the idiom of the populace is not popular with her. —
P. J. O'Rourke, New York Times Book Review, 9 Oct. 2005 And the prospect of recovering a nearly lost language, the idiom and scrappy slang of the postwar period … —Don DeLillo, New York Times Magazine, 7 Sept. 1997 We need to explicate the ways in which specific themes, fears, forms of consciousness, and class relationships are embedded in the use of Africanist idiom … —Toni Morrison, Playing in the Dark, 1992
The expression “give way,” meaning “retreat,” is an idiom. rock and roll and other musical idioms a feature of modern jazz idiom
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Out of the box, human language is ambiguous and nuanced with idioms, sarcasm or cultural references, challenging LLMs to interpret correctly. —Son Nguyen, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024 The versatile, always-all-in Mars is a worthy lodestar for Rosé and Rosie, an album that whirls through 21st-century pop idioms with aplomb even as its heroine ruminates on heartache and anxiety. —Maura Johnston, Rolling Stone, 6 Dec. 2024 Perhaps that’s why his debut album as Chanel Beads is filled with self-help idioms and reflections on internal conflicts. —Pitchfork, 3 Dec. 2024 Working across styles and idioms including classical, jazz, pop, R&B, and film scoring—and breaking ground for African American achievement in the entertainment industries—Jones has garnered the highest levels of critical and commercial acclaim. —Jem Aswad, Variety, 19 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for idiom 
Word History
Etymology
Middle French & Late Latin; Middle French idiome, from Late Latin idioma individual peculiarity of language, from Greek idiōmat-, idiōma, from idiousthai to appropriate, from idios
First Known Use
1573, in the meaning defined at sense 2b
Time Traveler
The first known use of idiom was in 1573
Dictionary Entries Near idiom
Cite this Entry
“Idiom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/idiom. Accessed 1 Jan. 2025.
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Last Updated: 29 Dec 2024 - Updated example sentences
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