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Synonyms

mot

American  
[moh] / moʊ /

noun

  1. a pithy or witty remark; bon mot.

  2. Archaic. a note on a horn, bugle, etc.

MOT 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. (in New Zealand and formerly in Britain) Ministry of Transport (in Britain now part of the DTLR) See DTLR

  2. (in Britain) MOT test: a compulsory annual test for all road vehicles over a certain age, which require a valid MOT certificate

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
mot 2 British  
/ məʊ /

noun

  1. short for bon mot

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
mot 3 British  
/ mɒt /

noun

  1. slang a girl or young woman, esp one's girlfriend

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does mot mean? A mot is a clever comment or witty saying.Mot is a short way of saying bon mot, which means the same thing (and is more commonly used).Mot is also used in the phrase mot juste, meaning the exact right word.Witty statements, sayings like "history always repeats itself," wordplay, and famous last words are all examples of mots.Example: Shakespeare's plays are known for their memorable mots like "To thine own self be true."

Etymology

Origin of mot

1625–35; < French < Late Latin muttum utterance. See motto

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Nericcio is usually quick to a bon mot, but his worrisome tone when we talked was something I had never heard in the 15 years we’ve known each other.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2025

Eustache filmed the 1968 and 1979 competitions, if “competition” is the mot juste for a contest whose participants appear to have little say in taking part.

From New York Times • Apr. 30, 2024

I have a bon mot I frequently employ: cautiously poss-imistic.

From Salon • Dec. 26, 2023

Citizens' Van Saun said the bank is also tightening its appetite for new mortgage credit, but that move is mot as dramatic as that for auto loans.

From Reuters • Jan. 30, 2023

“Still, they should be mot*; careful with those helicopters,” Shay said.

From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.