vocabulary

noun

vō-ˈka-byə-ˌler-ē How to pronounce vocabulary (audio)
Definition of vocabularynext
1
as in terminology
the special terms or expressions of a particular group or field scientific vocabulary

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2
as in language
the stock of words, pronunciation, and grammar used by a people as their basic means of communication children learn enough of the common vocabulary to make themselves understood by around the age of two

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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 vocabulary Clean, high quality neutral linens do more work than almost any other upgrade, borrowing from the vocabulary of luxury interior design without the price tag. — Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 19 Oct. 2026 Name what is happening and create a common vocabulary for the ecosystem. — Bob Pearson, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026 In the Wall Street Journal, James Lloyd Dusenbury recently argued that our political vocabulary, including communism and capitalism, is obsolete. — Jason Thurlkill, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026 Luxury menswear’s customer base and vocabulary were both shifting permanently. — Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for vocabulary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vocabulary
  1. terminology
  2. language
  3. dialect
  4. tongue
  5. slang
  6. idiom
Noun
  • Students were learning dates and terminology instead of poetry.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The terminology, the system, the college routine, all those things start to come.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of terminology
Noun
  • Axios Business Editor Dan Primack said Anthropic's S-1 filing marked a shift in the company's language towards using public markets to finance compute spending.
    — Ashley Capoot,Jordan Novet,Annie Palmer,Lora Kolodny,Kai Nicol-Schwarz,Caleigh Keating, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The vulnerability, called P2PShell, impacts a coding language that powers 70% of the world’s websites, enabling hackers to remotely execute code or gain access to information stored on servers.
    — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of language
Noun
  • Joseph Hill, the director of the Center for Black Deaf Studies at Gallaudet University, asserted that BASL is generally treated as more of a dialect than a language.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The reality, of course, is that the Southern accent is not some incorrect version of a national standard but instead a historically separate and unique dialect – or, more accurately, set of dialects.
    — Valerie M. Fridland, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of dialect
Noun
  • Orange graces the sneaker almost entirely uninterrupted through the upper to the translucent midsole, but blue is used for the tongue’s Kobe Sheath logo and the heel Swoosh.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The living room features wide-plank wood floors, tongue-and-groove wood ceilings, a stone fireplace, and a glass wall; the kitchen includes an oversized quartzite island; and a guest suite has a Japanese soaking tub.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of tongue
Noun
  • There’s a level of seriousness that belies the 90-minute comedy film he’s made, which features an imbecilic white rapper who speaks in Caribbean-British slang and a contraption that shoots bullets out of one’s rear end.
    — Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026
  • McCaffrey and the 49ers will return to the United States after their win and lesson in Australian slang to play the Miami Dolphins in Week 2.
    — Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of slang
Noun
  • Its palette is broad, moving from comic to straight rap, from Cab Calloway swing to Beyoncé-style ballads, each idiom chosen for its dramatic purpose.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Over the decades, though, Reich’s idiom has become part of the mainstream.
    — Joshua Barone, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of idiom

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vocabularies
vocabulary
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Cite this Entry

“Vocabulary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vocabulary. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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