dialect
noun
di·a·lect
ˈdī-ə-ˌlekt 
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 advertising—
Philip Howard
Philip 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
Synonyms
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
Suffice to say that considering the setting and the dialect, Eggers is promising another deep dive into a muddy, costumed and violent time period consistent with his oeuvre, which has earned him a loyal film following.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Jan. 2025
In the interview, Jancsó said AI was used to tweak certain parts of the Hungarian dialect in the movie used by stars Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones—as well as in the creation of architectural drawings that appeared near the conclusion of the film.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
Named Pa Gomo, which means ‘on the mountain’ in the South African dialect called Shana, this 10,000-square-foot home nestled at the base of Hawn Mountain blends art and nature.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 15 Jan. 2025
Although challenges remain, future systems trained on greater amounts of non-English data could be capable of discerning subtle differences between dialects and understanding the meaning and cultural context of slang or Internet memes.
—Anne Neuberger, Foreign Affairs, 15 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for dialect 
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Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Jan. 2025
In the interview, Jancsó said AI was used to tweak certain parts of the Hungarian dialect in the movie used by stars Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones—as well as in the creation of architectural drawings that appeared near the conclusion of the film.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
Named Pa Gomo, which means ‘on the mountain’ in the South African dialect called Shana, this 10,000-square-foot home nestled at the base of Hawn Mountain blends art and nature.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 15 Jan. 2025
Although challenges remain, future systems trained on greater amounts of non-English data could be capable of discerning subtle differences between dialects and understanding the meaning and cultural context of slang or Internet memes.
—Anne Neuberger, Foreign Affairs, 15 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for dialect
Dictionary Entries Near dialect
Cite this Entry
“Dialect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dialect. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dialect
noun
di·a·lect
ˈdī-ə-ˌlekt
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
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