1
as in proverb
an often stated observation regarding something from common experience
Mom's favorite byword is "You can get more flies with honey than with vinegar"
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2
as in classic
the most perfect type or example
nationally, Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive has become a byword for luxury retailing
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of byword
At home the story of Norway’s infamous Nazi collaborator Vidkun Quisling, whose name has become a byword for traitor, stirred intense public debate and ended up as the third biggest Norwegian film of 2024.
—
Annika Pham, Variety, 23 Jan. 2025
As part of the Panasonic empire, Technics was once a byword for hi-fi in the 1980s.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
At times this season, Newcastle have been a byword for inconsistency, but Tottenham take that distinction to a whole other level.
—George Caulkin, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025
Leverkusen, the club that used to be a byword for failure, enjoy winning too much to stop now.
—Rafa Honigstein and Seb Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 14 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for byword
Annika Pham, Variety, 23 Jan. 2025
As part of the Panasonic empire, Technics was once a byword for hi-fi in the 1980s.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
At times this season, Newcastle have been a byword for inconsistency, but Tottenham take that distinction to a whole other level.
—George Caulkin, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025
Leverkusen, the club that used to be a byword for failure, enjoy winning too much to stop now.
—Rafa Honigstein and Seb Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 14 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for byword
Recent Examples of Synonyms for byword
Noun
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But Bluey’s comforted when Calypso tells her a proverb about a farmer who trusts everything will turn out the way it’s meant to be.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
26 Mar. 2025
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Whitaker nicknamed the place Sparrow Hall, a reference to a medieval saint’s proverb about a sparrow who flies over a royal banquet, feeling only a brief moment of warmth.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
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All of them are classics that result in a total five points.—
Marilú Almaguer,
Glamour,
10 Apr. 2025
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No look has to be permanent, and with 2025’s most popular looks leaning into avant-garde classics, taking your hair to a new height is this season’s most palpable trends.—
India Espy-Jones,
Essence,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Unfortunately, the question of how much worth is placed on an Israeli life versus a Palestinian one is answered mostly in words, and thus, in too direct (and perhaps too didactic) a fashion, when so much of the movie’s drama could have grounded it emotionally.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2025
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So Far The word takes on a whole other meaning, however, once Violet enters the swank joint.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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And for those watching from on high—senators, judges, CEOs—mass protests are physical manifestations of public opinion.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
5 Apr. 2025
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The Woman must be a manifestation of Ramona’s grief: a thing that arrived uninvited into this family’s life, cast a shadow over their home, and refused to leave.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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There is a saying among lawyers and crisis communications professionals: A coverup is often worse than the crime or crisis itself.—
Rick Pozniak,
Boston Herald,
1 Apr. 2025
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Diet As the saying goes, everything starts with your diet—and that includes bone health.—
Melanie Curry,
People.com,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Cat trees price Cat trees vary in price from about $20 to $300 or more for larger, more complex models.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2025
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Romeo is currently dating model Kim Turnbull, who Brooklyn reportedly dated in 2016.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
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She’s got so many mottos, so many mantras, so many things to say about the zodiac.—
Zoe Papelis,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2025
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Still, their motto holds firm: Nothing but the Best.—
Javier Hasse,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The real prize at this feast, however, will be those molecules that most efficiently store energy, your fatty acids, so that the caloric orgy reaches its apotheosis in that fattiest of all your organs, that thing which seemed most you: your brain.—
Cutter Wood,
Harper's Magazine,
28 Feb. 2025
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To experience the apotheosis of Germany’s Spargel-love, a trip to the famed Spargelfests in regions such as Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, and Lower Saxony is in order.—
Yolanda Evans,
AFAR Media,
21 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Byword.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/byword. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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