Singlish

British

/ ˈsɪŋɡlɪʃ /

noun

a variety of English spoken in Singapore, incorporating elements of Chinese and Malay

"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

Etymology

Origin of Singlish

C20: from a blend of _Singaporean + _English

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.

Singaporean cast members have also said they were told to use less Singlish, Singapore's unique brand of English and a central marker of identity; and the movie trailer featured almost no Singaporean accents.

From BBC • Aug. 17, 2018

Without hearing her Singlish playing in her mind, as if she were being dictated to, Tan said there would have been no novel.

From Slate • Jul. 20, 2016

“It has such immediacy of expressing her thoughts that I felt like Singlish was another character in the book.”

From Slate • Jul. 20, 2016

In Singapore English, or Singlish, a tired worker might say, "I was blur at work."

From Time Magazine Archive

The government is promoting "standard English" over the more popular Singlish, but it's an uphill fight.

From Time Magazine Archive

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