term of art

noun phrase

: a term that has a specialized meaning in a particular field or profession

Examples of term of art in a Sentence

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.
Pedersen is a student of opera performance, and the novel is studded with terms of art, but its most apparent musical influence may be the high tragedy and melancholic tumult of that genre. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 The term of art for this sort of battlefield confusion is fog of war. — Judy Berman, Time, 18 Feb. 2026 To borrow a baseball term of art (okay, a cliché), Jane Leavy is an elite spitballer. — Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025 Offline is somewhat of a term of art in the Legislature where lawmakers have side conversations that aren’t public. — Alexandra Glorioso, Miami Herald, 25 Apr. 2025 The settlement also revises the penalty structure for a school that exits the ACC’s grant of rights, a term of art that refers to a school permitting its intellectual property and media rights to be used by the conference and its business partners. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 4 Mar. 2025 But today, the word, which is also a legal term of art, has a different context and usage in online spaces. — Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1570, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of term of art was in 1570

Rhymes for term of art

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Browse Nearby Words

term of affection
term of art
term of/in office
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Cite this Entry

“Term of art.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/term%20of%20art. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Legal Definition

term of art

: a word having a particular meaning in a field (as the law)

called also word of art

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