dialect

noun

di·​a·​lect ˈdī-ə-ˌlekt How to pronounce dialect (audio)
often attributive
1
linguistics
a
: a regional variety of language distinguished by features of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation from other regional varieties and constituting together with them a single language
the Doric dialect of ancient Greek
a dialect of Chinese spoken in Hong Kong
b
: one of two or more cognate (see cognate entry 1 sense 3a) languages
French and Italian are Romance dialects
c
: a variety of a language used by the members of a group
such dialects as politics and advertisingPhilip Howard
d
: a variety of language whose identity is fixed by a factor other than geography (such as social class)
spoke a rough peasant dialect
f
: a version of a computer programming language
2
: manner or means of expressing oneself : phraseology
dialectal adjective
dialectally adverb

Examples of dialect in a Sentence

They speak a southern dialect of French. The author uses dialect in his writing. The play was hard to understand when the characters spoke in dialect.
Recent Examples on the Web Many sperm whale dialects appear to contain a social-marker coda. Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2024 Dune novelist Frank Herbert described this dialect in his books, but didn’t index it as fully as, say, J.R.R. Tolkien did with Elvish. EW.com, 20 Feb. 2024 While there are multiple valid ways to communicate—complete with diverse languages and dialogues—she was confronted with the expectation that Black people speak a certain dialect. A. Rochaun Meadows-Fernandez, Parents, 17 Feb. 2024 During the 2020 state election in Delhi, India, Manoj Tiwari, a candidate from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, created an A.I. deepfake of himself speaking the Haryanvi dialect to target voters in that demographic. Yan Zhuang, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2024 Pingree’s dialect work and discoveries as a woman coming into her own in multiple ways unifies inside a sweetness built from an edge. David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2024 To that end, Foreman has worked with dialect coach-to-the-stars Denise Woods. David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Jan. 2024 Set, Alexander Woodward; costumes, Montana Levi Blanco; lighting, Cha See; sound, Matthew M. Nielson; dialect coaching, Lisa Beley; props, Amy Kellett. Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 15 Jan. 2024 Walking along the Lowcountry, Turner interviewed descendants of the enslaved, made careful notes about their dialect and songs, and took photos. Joshua Kagavi, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dialect.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle French dialecte, from Latin dialectus, from Greek dialektos conversation, dialect, from dialegesthai to converse — more at dialogue

First Known Use

1566, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of dialect was in 1566

Dictionary Entries Near dialect

Cite this Entry

“Dialect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dialect. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dialect

noun
di·​a·​lect ˈdī-ə-ˌlekt How to pronounce dialect (audio)
1
: a regional variety of a language differing from the standard language
2
: a variety of a language used by the members of a particular group or class
peasant dialect
dialectal adjective
dialectally adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on dialect

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!