mantra
Americannoun
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Hinduism. a word or formula, as from the Veda, chanted or sung as an incantation or prayer.
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an often repeated word, formula, or phrase, often a truism.
If I hear the “less is more” mantra one more time, I'll scream.
noun
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Hinduism any of those parts of the Vedic literature which consist of the metrical psalms of praise
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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
Etymology
Origin of mantra
Borrowed into English from Sanskrit around 1800–10
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.
Low fees, Bogle’s mantra, have long helped it keep up with market indexes.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
It’s been a standard mantra of financial advisers and commentators for about two generations.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026
“What the form of a mantra does is it means that you don’t really have to worry about wrapping things up,” he explains.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026
Staying true to this mantra, within six months of the co founder's £100m windfall they went back to the public for yet another EFP raise.
From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026
I repeated it under my breath like a mantra.
From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs
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.
