motto
Americannoun
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mottoes,
plural
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mottos
plural
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a maxim adopted as an expression of the guiding principle of a person, organization, city, etc.
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a sentence, phrase, or word expressing the spirit or purpose of a person, organization, city, etc., and often inscribed on a badge, banner, etc.
noun
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a short saying expressing the guiding maxim or ideal of a family, organization, etc, esp when part of a coat of arms
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a short explanatory phrase inscribed on or attached to something
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a verse or maxim contained in a paper cracker
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a quotation prefacing a book or chapter of a book
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a recurring musical phrase
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of motto
1580–90; < Italian < Late Latin muttum sound, utterance. See mot
Compare meaning
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Explanation
A motto is a slogan or favorite saying, like "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade." A motto is something you might see on a t-shirt or bumper sticker — a short sentence or phrase that has meaning for that person. Some mottoes have to do with politics, religion, or another belief. Sometimes People write their motto on a large banner or sign so others can see it. President John F. Kennedy's motto was “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” Mottoes are similar to proverbs, slogans, and catchphrases.
Vocabulary lists containing motto
"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling
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Because of Winn-Dixie
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Divergent
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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:
"My motto is: Be healthy, be happy, be kind."
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Employees there trade doomsday scenarios and how to prepare for them on a private Slack channel, and have come to embrace a motto they stick on their laptops: “Things will never be chill again.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
As such, all eyes have been on Schwesig, a former national family minister whose motto has been the "Frau gegen Blau" -- the woman against blue, the AfD's signature colour.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
Beyond that, Huntsinger falls back on the festival’s unofficial motto: “Underpromise, overdeliver.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
Which, I realized with a grimace, could very easily be my motto.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
One of my mottoes was “aliveness over prowess.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2025
The team writing the mottoes for next year’s batch of Sweethearts has already developed a new theme aimed at that demographic sweet spot.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 7, 2023
There he prints by letterpress, in two colors, greeting cards that combine old etchings and engravings with famous mottoes and sayings.
From New York Times ● Mar. 17, 2022
Navy’s team captains have chosen mottoes for several seasons, and they quickly replaced this year’s original choice with “Win the day.”
From Washington Post ● Aug. 4, 2019
Then he tried to focus his eyes so that he could read the mottoes on the nickel and dime.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
"Leading by example is one of my biggest traits and my biggest mottos I try to live by. Whenever I'm on that pitch I try and do my best for the country."
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
That’s where her mottos come in — short, memorable phrases that condensed technique into a moment you could carry from the screen to your own kitchen.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2025
One of Sheinbaum’s mottos: “Collaboration, coordination, without subordination. ... Sovereignty is not negotiable.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2025
“In adopting their mottos, symbols, and ethos on the field of friendly strife, we seek to emulate their application of these characteristics to defeat our rivals,” the school said.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 7, 2023
One of his mottos: Don’t take no for an answer.
From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
