Definition of idiom Idiom

/ɪˈdiʌm/ - [ideeum] - id•i•om

We found 18 definitions of idiom from 7 different sources.

What does idiom mean?

WordNet

Noun Plural: idioms
idiom - an expression whose meanings cannot be inferred from the meanings of the words that make it up
		idiomatic expression, phrasal idiom, set phrase, phrase
		locution, saying, expression a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations; "pardon the expression"
idiom - the style of a particular artist or school or movement; "an imaginative orchestral idiom"
		artistic style
		manner, fashion, mode, style, way a way of acting or behaving
		baroqueness, baroque elaborate and extensive ornamentation in decorative art and architecture that flourished in Europe in the 17th century
		classical style the artistic style of ancient Greek art with its emphasis on proportion and harmony
		order the act of putting things in a sequential arrangement; "there were mistakes in the ordering of items on the list"
		rococo fanciful but graceful asymmetric ornamentation in art and architecture that originated in France in the 18th century
		high renaissance the artistic style of early 16th century painting in Florence and Rome; characterized by technical mastery and heroic composition and humanistic content
		treatment care provided to improve a situation (especially medical procedures or applications that are intended to relieve illness or injury)
		neoclassicism revival of a classical style (in art or literature or architecture or music) but from a new perspective or with a new motivation
		classicalism, classicism a movement in literature and art during the 17th and 18th centuries in Europe that favored rationality and restraint and strict forms; "classicism often derived its models from the ancient Greeks and Romans"
idiom - the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people; "the immigrants spoke an odd dialect of English"; "he has a strong German accent"; "it has been said that a language is a dialect with an army and navy"
		dialect, accent
		non-standard speech speech that differs from the usual accepted, easily recognizable speech of native adult members of a speech community
		eye dialect the use of misspellings to identify a colloquial or uneducated speaker
		patois a regional dialect of a language (especially French); usually considered substandard
idiom - a manner of speaking that is natural to native speakers of a language
		parlance
		formulation, expression the style of expressing yourself; "he suggested a better formulation"; "his manner of expression showed how much he cared"

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Wiktionary

idiom (Noun)
A manner of speaking, a way of expressing oneself.
idiom (Noun)
A language or dialect.
idiom (Noun)
Specifically, a particular variety of language; a restricted dialect used in a given historical period, context etc.
idiom (Noun)
An artistic style for example, in art, architecture, or music; an instance of such a style.
idiom (Noun)
An expression peculiar to or characteristic of a particular language, especially when the meaning is illogical or separate from the meanings of its component words.
idiom (Noun)
A programming construct or phraseology generally held to be the most efficient, elegant or effective means to achieve a particular result or behavior.

Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘

idiom (n.)
The syntactical or structural form peculiar to any language; the genius or cast of a language.
idiom (n.)
An expression conforming or appropriate to the peculiar structural form of a language; in extend use, an expression sanctioned by usage, having a sense peculiar to itself and not agreeing with the logical sense of its structural form; also, the phrase forms peculiar to a particular author.
idiom (n.)
Dialect; a variant form of a language.

OmegaWiki DictionaryOmegaWiki Dictionary Ω

idiom
A phrase that cannot be fully understood from the separate meanings of the individual words which form it, but instead must be learned as a whole unit of meaning.
idiom
A manner of speaking that is natural to native speakers of a language.

Chambers DictionaryChamber's 20th Century Dictionary 📕

idiom
id′i-um, n. a mode of expression peculiar to a language, a peculiar variation of any language, a dialect.—n. Id′iasm, a peculiarity.—adjs. Idiomat′ic, -al, conformed or pertaining to the idioms of a language.—adv. Idiomat′ically.—n. Idiot′icon, a vocabulary of a particular dialect or district. [Fr.,—L.,—Gr. idiōma, peculiarity—idios, one's own.]

Wikipedia

An idiom is a word or phrase which means something different from what it says - it is usually a metaphor.

Idioms are common phrases or terms whose meanings are not literal, but are figurative and only known through their common use.

Because idioms can mean something different from what the words mean it is difficult for someone not very good at speaking the language to use them properly. Some idioms are only used by some groups of people or at certain times. The idiom "break a leg", means "good luck" to an actor about to start acting, but not to other people.

Idioms are not the same thing as slang. Idioms are made of normal words that have a special meaning known by almost everyone. Slang is usually special words that are known only by a particular group.

To learn a language a person needs to learn the words in that language, and how and when to use them. But people also need to learn idioms separately because certain words together or at certain times can have different meanings. In order to understand an idiom, one sometimes needs to know the culture the idiom comes from.

To know the history of an idiom can be useful and interesting, but is not necessary to be able to use the idiom properly. For example most native British English speakers know that "No room to swing a cat" means "there was not a lot of space" and can use the idiom properly, but few know it is because 200 years ago sailors were punished by being whipped with a whip called a "cat o'nine tails". A big space

Part of speech

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idiom, noun, singular of idioms.

Pronunciation

Word frequency

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Sign Language

idiom in sign language