paraphernalia

noun

ˌper-ə-fər-ˈnāl-yə How to pronounce paraphernalia (audio)
Definition of paraphernalianext
1
as in equipment
items needed for the performance of a task or activity mountain-climbing paraphernalia

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in possession
transportable items that one owns packed up all of their paraphernalia for the move across the country

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 paraphernalia The exhibition puts designer Pierre-Olivier Persin’s bust of the creature alongside the syringes, vials and other medical paraphernalia from the mysterious Substance kit that sets the movie’s nightmare in motion. — Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026 Hayden Panettiere was found with drug paraphernalia when she was found unresponsive last month at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina. — Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2026 Police also found 11 luxury Rolex watches, along with weapons and drug selling paraphernalia, officials said at a press conference Monday. — Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026 The volunteers also strapped on high-tech face masks and other scientific paraphernalia to precisely measure metabolic changes. — Gretchen Reynolds, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for paraphernalia
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paraphernalia
  1. equipment
  2. possession
  3. gear
  4. things
  5. apparatus
  6. belongings
  7. stuff
Noun
  • Performers weren’t spared either, with several forced to perform in the rain without covering for both artists and their equipment.
    — Isabel Rivera, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026
  • That role demands reliable equipment capable of transmitting strategic instructions during severe national security crises.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of equipment
Noun
  • The shoes became more than a possession, carrying a connection to the maker long after the customer left the shop.
    — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Paporakis has been charged with one count of making a terrorist threat, a class X felony, and one count of unlawful possession of a rifle with a barrel shorter than 16 inches, a class 3 felony, police said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of possession
Noun
  • The latest unit retains the same first six forward ratios as the outgoing Carrera T’s manual transmission, but ditches its predecessor’s somewhat awkward and largely superfluous seventh gear.
    — Bradley Iger, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Images show an excavator in the backyard as police in protective gear continue to come and go from the property this week.
    — Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of gear
Noun
  • Which brings us back to the list of things that lasted longer than Zacharia’s term as White House Press Secretary.
    — Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The wide-leg pants keep things relaxed, and the ruched waist on the knit top adds shape and makes the whole look feel more polished than a standard sweatshirt set.
    — Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of things
Noun
  • Did your neighbors give you any weird looks or call the police about some guy loitering in scuba apparatus?
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Fire Chief Cody Wynne noted the Fire Equipment Fund and Act 833 accounts are legally restricted for eligible fire apparatus and gear acquisitions.
    — Randy Moll, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of apparatus
Noun
  • Of all the belongings Goyal has collected, Indian and otherwise, a suite of textile paintings from his grandfather offer the most poignant narrative.
    — Sarah Medford, Architectural Digest, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Finding unexploded military ordnance in stockpiles of vintage belongings isn't unprecedented.
    — Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of belongings
Noun
  • Even the stuff from the best Japanese markets (and a few chain sushi restaurants) will supply that familiar whiff to varying degrees.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, Kate and Hal are mostly enjoying an interlude that Hal thinks is purely romantic, with a bit of work stuff sprinkled on top, and which Kate has designed as more of a half-and-half experience.
    — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of stuff

Browse Nearby Words

parapets
paraphernalia
paraphrase
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Cite this Entry

“Paraphernalia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paraphernalia. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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