swear word
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of swear word
An Americanism dating back to 1880–85
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.
"It could be anything from a swear word to telling somebody they're beautiful. I don't know what it's going to be."
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
“I can’t really say it because there’s a swear word in it,” Quinton Byfield said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 11, 2024
“That’s I guess why I thought the word that I said was a swear word and not way worse than it actually is.”
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 1, 2023
After this conflict, Musgrave predicts Ukrainians will add a new swear word to their vocabulary: “Putin.”
From Washington Post ● Mar. 4, 2022
He’d heard the word so often—mostly from Maria—he’d thought it was only a swear word, like dumdum or cootie face.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
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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.
