four-letter

adjective

four-let·​ter ˈfȯr-ˈle-tər How to pronounce four-letter (audio)
: of, relating to, or being four-letter words

Examples of four-letter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Schools can never succeed academically until discipline is no longer treated as a four-letter word. Vincent Turley, Hartford Courant, 2 Mar. 2025 Democratic Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett of Texas had a couple choice words—including a four-letter one—for billionaire Elon Musk on Tuesday. Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025 The government agency with a five-letter acronym that’s become a four-letter word to Elon Musk is vanishing from the internet. Rob Pegoraro, PCMAG, 3 Feb. 2025 In a moment near the end of our interview at the IndieWire Studio at Sundance, presented by Dropbox, Callum Turner gets sheepish about dropping a certain four-letter word. Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for four-letter

Word History

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of four-letter was in 1897

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Four-letter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/four-letter. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!