FOUR-LETTER WORD Definition & Meaning

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four-letter word

[ fawr-let-er, fohr- ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

any of a number of short words, usually of four letters, considered offensive or vulgar because of their reference to excrement or sex.
any word, typically of four letters, that represents something forbidden, disliked, or regarded with extreme distaste:
In the dieter's vocabulary, “cake” is a four-letter word.

four-letter word

noun

any of several short English words referring to sex or excrement: often used as swearwords and regarded generally as offensive or obscene

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of four-letter word¹

First recorded in 1925–30

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Idioms and Phrases

Any of several short English words that are generally regarded as vulgar or obscene. For example, No four-letter words are permitted in this classroom . This expression is applied mostly to words describing excretory or sexual functions. [First half of 1900s]

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

“I did miss on a four-letter word, so my weakness tends to be those super short, tricky words, and I worked on compiling those into one list,” Shradha said.

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He’d miss the other corner of the strike zone, and frustratingly blurt out a four-letter word.

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“Every time that dirty four-letter word called ‘compromise’ comes up,” Boebert fumed, “it’s always Republicans stepping away from their principles, their platform, your priorities and siding with socialists, communists and Marxists.”

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“You have the right to use four-letter words.”

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And out of her mouth comes a four-letter word completely unsuitable for broadcast on BBC Breakfast.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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