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 Luxury menswear’s customer base and vocabulary were both shifting permanently. — Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026 The title comes from a phrase that became part of his creative vocabulary and began appearing in sketches whenever an absurd situation called for a perfectly incredulous response. — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 6 Oct. 2026 Under Quotidien’s famously flattering lights, Bieber’s signature beauty vocabulary came into particularly sharp focus. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 3 Oct. 2026 He was briefed on the operation beforehand, shared a common vocabulary with one of the co-conspirators, Solages, and received details in the aftermath. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 2 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
  • Titles, descriptions and other metadata for older videos and podcasts may also be revised to reflect the new terminology, while the original recordings, transcripts and captions will remain unchanged.
    — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • That terminology provides a way to identify how a medication is designed without turning the description into a judgment about treatment quality.
    — Emma Clapp, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of terminology
Noun
  • But, unlike Felker and Bryan, the two don’t share a language or approach.
    — Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Brian Romick, the president of Democratic Majority for Israel, put out an issue framework last month in an attempt to move the conversation from the language to the actual policy.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of language
Noun
  • The conflicts are raw and unresolved, and Churchill forces theatergoers to make up their own minds about the characters’ furious dialect.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Documenting many varieties is a way to not just share the language, but to illustrate how dialects of Pennsylvania Dutch differ and maybe even fill in each other’s gaps.
    — Eythana Miller, The Dial, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of dialect
Noun
  • Toset is more concerned about one that stays put, grows, or becomes increasingly painful—particularly on the side of the tongue.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Smoky mezcal and amaro, counterbalanced with sweet almond on the back of the tongue.
    — Amanda Lee Koe, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of tongue
Noun
  • 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
  • The script itself is filled with the language of its time and place, including Berliner gutter slang and high-society clichés, casino speech and capitalist jargon, spoken Yiddish and literary German.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of slang
Noun
  • The first Velvet Underground album, the mid-period Beatles, Kinks, and Creedence Clearwater Revival records, with enough time, seem almost like different components to the same idiom.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Cinema is, after all, a language, and Belgian filmmakers come from a country built on the need to understand language as a bridge—between its regions, its people, and its idioms.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 11 Sep. 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 21 Oct. 2026.

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