as in curses
a disrespectful or indecent word or expression
unleashed a slew of expletives upon losing the tennis match
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of expletives
Videos of her confronting the woman and yelling expletives at gym staffers about the gymgoer’s genitalia went viral, landing her interviews with TMZ, Fox News and conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly.
—
Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Armenians at home and in the diaspora voiced their outrage at the friendly message, drawing up grievances and cursing the government, often with expletives.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 25 Apr. 2026
But this season many chanted expletives during fixtures against Fulham and Crystal Palace.
—Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
To be sure, protesters have often engaged in hostile behavior, hurling expletives, getting in agents’ faces and occasionally becoming violent.
—A.c. Thompson, ProPublica, 14 Apr. 2026
The man pushed Littrell's phone away, and the two began filming each other and hurling expletives.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
On some of her livestreams, she can be seen screaming expletives in the face of police officers.
—Brian Maass, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2026
Hurley's mother, Christine, was among them and in true Hurley family fashion let a few expletives fly after the last-second win.
—Andrew McCarty, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
Apart from the accents, one difference from the American original was the expletives.
—ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Armenians at home and in the diaspora voiced their outrage at the friendly message, drawing up grievances and cursing the government, often with expletives.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 25 Apr. 2026
But this season many chanted expletives during fixtures against Fulham and Crystal Palace.
—Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
To be sure, protesters have often engaged in hostile behavior, hurling expletives, getting in agents’ faces and occasionally becoming violent.
—A.c. Thompson, ProPublica, 14 Apr. 2026
The man pushed Littrell's phone away, and the two began filming each other and hurling expletives.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
On some of her livestreams, she can be seen screaming expletives in the face of police officers.
—Brian Maass, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2026
Hurley's mother, Christine, was among them and in true Hurley family fashion let a few expletives fly after the last-second win.
—Andrew McCarty, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
Apart from the accents, one difference from the American original was the expletives.
—ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expletives
Noun
-
Tens of millions of downloads deep, among discussions regarding ongoing bear curses and the quiet art of being a decent person, Drew Barrymore has asked about boogers and Jane Fonda has asked about hope.—
Brittany Delay,
Mercury News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
There are still deliveries of hate mail from conservative neighbors who disapprove of their lifestyle, and occasional drive-bys punctuated with curses yelled from car windows, but they’ve largely been accepted by the community.—
Stephanie Breijo,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
After being placed in a government vehicle, Ferreira Borges allegedly kicked, flailed, and screamed obscenities at officers, officials said.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
17 Apr. 2026
-
But Mulligan was worried that some of the obscenities felt too American.—
Seija Rankin,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Hathaway made a diving signal several times with his hand and mouthed some profanities.—
Tom Dougherty,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
At one point, a man appears to emerge from the home and yell profanities in Spanish in the direction of the dump truck.—
Greg Norman-Diamond,
FOXNews.com,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Tensions rose, neighbors said, to the point that King was heard at times swearing at Kirsten Wells as well as others using vulgar epithets.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
-
On that day, the mob hurled racist epithets, smoke bombs, and fists at him.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Expletives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expletives. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
