mantra
Americannoun
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mantras
plural
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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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of mantra
Borrowed into English from Sanskrit around 1800–10
Explanation
A mantra is a motivating chant, like the “I think I can, I think I can” you repeat over and over to yourself on the last stretch of every marathon you run. A mantra is usually any repeated word or phrase, but it can also refer more specifically to a word repeated in meditation. Mantra comes from a Sanskrit word meaning a “sacred message or text, charm, spell, counsel.” The Indian spiritual leader Sri Sathya Baba said, “A pure thought from a pure heart is better than a mantra.” Meaning, a mantra is great and all, but really, pure intentions and genuine kindness mean more.
Vocabulary lists containing mantra
100 Words to Make You Sound Smart
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"Rogue Wave," Vocabulary from the short story
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On Your Mark, Get Set, Commence Your Life!
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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.
See Examples For:
Indeed, my mantra through much of the decadeslong campaign had been—to borrow a phrase that at least one ardent activist actually tattooed on her arm—“There is no marriage without engagement.”
From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026
“These super-egregious errors in a game that impact the outcome. The mantra for VAR was always minimum interference but maximum benefit.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
“Levels,” the French football Yoda Thierry Henry repeated on Fox, over and over, like a mantra, when it was through.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Phra Sompong, who was a monk in the group, said he was chanting the meditation mantra "Buddho, Buddho" before the crash happened.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
I repeated it to myself like a mantra.
From "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds
Fans dressed in approximations of her floaty ballgowns and 1920s flapper dresses, hollering lyrics like mantras.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
Ahead of the speeches, a choir sang as attendees photographed a large panel emblazoned with one of Jackson's mantras "keep hope alive."
From Barron's ● Mar. 6, 2026
“Proximity is power!” he wrote, quoting one of Robbins’s signature mantras, in a caption for the photo snapped at Mar-a-Lago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
Screens in the practice facility display the Lakers’ three mantras.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2025
“He’s gathered all kinds of mantras, sacred words that will help you. But, be warned, he’s still awful...”
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
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.
