watchwords

noun

plural of watchword
1
as in words
a word or phrase that must be spoken by a person in order to pass a guard the watchword is changed every day

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in slogans
an attention-getting word or phrase used to publicize something (as a campaign or product) their latest watchword turns up in every ad from that company

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for watchwords
  1. words
  2. slogans
  3. banners
Noun
  • No discussion of nuclear deterrence should ever lose sight of the human lives behind those words.
    — Halla Tómasdóttir, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Those 20 words--all but three of them single syllables--summon a flood of thoughts and images and memories and ruminations.
    — Dana Kelley, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of words
Noun
  • And strength to resist reducing complex human challenges to slogans, enemies, or simple answers.
    — Halla Tómasdóttir, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Pupils clustered outside the doors of several schools in Paris and other cities in the morning hours, brandishing placards and megaphones and chanting slogans, and marches were planned later in the day.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of slogans
Noun
  • The defensive coordinator suddenly is the subject of frat banners calling for his firing.
    — Noah White, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Castle Town bustled more than ever, teeming with banners, flowers and colorful citizenry.
    — James Perkins Mastromarino, NPR, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of banners
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.

Browse Nearby Words

watchword
watchwords
water
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Cite this Entry

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

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