mantra

Or man·tram

[man-truh, mahn-, muhn-]

noun

1. Hinduism.,  a word or formula, as from the Veda, chanted or sung as an incantation or prayer.

2. an often repeated word, formula, or phrase, often a truism.

   If I hear the “less is more” mantra one more time, I'll scream.

mantra

/ ˈmʌn-, ˈmæntrə /

noun

1. Hinduism any of those parts of the Vedic literature which consist of the metrical psalms of praise

2. Hinduism Buddhism any sacred word or syllable used as an object of concentration and embodying some aspect of spiritual power

Other Word Forms

• mantric adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mantra¹

Borrowed into English from Sanskrit around 1800–10

Word History and Origins

Origin of mantra¹

C19: from Sanskrit, literally: speech, instrument of thought, from man to think

Example Sentences

Maybe the "us against the world" mantra is something that can drive the team on towards the heights that they have so far been unable to get to.

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"Keep capacity tight, keep prices high is basically their mantra," he said.

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In interviews, she is fond of sharing her mantra: “I want a director to work with me, not on me.”

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We did a good job, worked a full day, and fulfilled our responsibilities; that was our mantra.

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He did so with a blend of Brown's hard-to-beat mantra, an emerging crop of talent and a dollop of landmark results.

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Related Words

• hymn 
• melody 
• shout 
• singing www.thesaurus.com
• tune