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Definition of "colloquialism" [col•lo•qui•al•ism]

  • Colloquial style or quality. (noun)
  • A colloquial expression. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "colloquialism" in a sentence
  • "Jake's obsessing about his "colloquialism" - meanwhile Obama props his question up to deliver some "on message" remarks regarding energy and healthcare ..."
  • "She seemed to delight in the word, and every time she pronounced it a light came into her old face, and I began to understand her and to feel that I could place her, to use a colloquialism which is so expressive that perhaps its use may be forgiven."
  • "A definition of the terms: "colloquialism" and "idiom" Instances of their use in the Speech on Conciliation."