tongue

noun

ˈtəŋ How to pronounce tongue (audio)
Definition of tonguenext
as in language
the stock of words, pronunciation, and grammar used by a people as their basic means of communication he spoke in a tongue that I didn't understand

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 tongue Therapy often focuses on breathing habits, oral resting posture, tongue and lip function, and the development of healthy patterns that can be integrated into everyday life. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 30 June 2026 The oral microbiome is the community of more than 700 bacterial species that live across your teeth, tongue, cheeks, gums and tonsils, making the mouth the second most diverse microbial habitat in the human body after the gut. — Allison Palmer, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026 And yet Webster’s dictionary, and his earlier attempts at spelling reform, expressed a radical desire to forge an entirely new tongue based in the vernacular genius of the aspiring American people. — Literary Hub, 1 July 2026 The results have often left me highly frustrated, but also have given me indescribable joy at the fact of having absorbed (although only partially, of course) some of the elusive beauty of those marvelous, magical, mysteriously alluring tongues. — Douglas Hofstadter, Time, 30 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for tongue
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tongue
  1. language
  2. vocabulary
  3. dialect
  4. idiom
Noun
  • In a world order in rupture, international law remains the one language power still has to answer to.
    — Alain Berset, Time, 6 July 2026
  • Although it is celebrated primarily in Latin, Lauer said the language is only part of its appeal.
    — Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 6 July 2026
Definition of language
Noun
  • Understanding The Exposure Gap Many young marketers arrive with ambition, vocabulary and a solid grasp of brand theory.
    — Michael Wright, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • Meanwhile, the very vocabulary of humanitarianism and antiracism has become so selectively applied or debased as to be meaningless.
    — Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
Definition of vocabulary
Noun
  • Unlike the brighter, more melodic style often associated with Austria and the Tyrol region, Swiss yodeling is slower and more melancholic — an emotionally nuanced tradition rooted in distinct regional dialects.
    — Jez Fielder, Fortune, 30 June 2026
  • Unlike the brighter, more melodic style often associated with Austria and the Tyrol region, Swiss yodeling is slower and more melancholic — an emotionally nuanced tradition rooted in distinct regional dialects.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 June 2026
Definition of dialect
Noun
  • On the one hand, the translation serves as a source for the idioms of nineteenth-century English; on the other, as evidence of the ideas that the translator held about a Colombian woman writer.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 July 2026
  • Out of love for different sound systems, different writing systems, different grammars, different sets of concepts, different idioms, different ways of seeing the world.
    — Douglas Hofstadter, Time, 30 June 2026
Definition of idiom

Phrases Containing tongue

Browse Nearby Words

tongas
tongue
tongue-in-cheek
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Cite this Entry

“Tongue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tongue. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on tongue

Nglish: Translation of tongue for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tongue

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