slogan

noun

slo·​gan ˈslō-gən How to pronounce slogan (audio)
1
a
: a war cry especially of a Scottish clan
b
: a word or phrase used to express a characteristic position or stand or a goal to be achieved
2
: a brief attention-getting phrase used in advertising or promotion

Examples of slogan in a Sentence

within days, virtually everyone was familiar with the newest advertising slogan for that brand of soda
Recent Examples on the Web Protesters chanted slogans, sang and held placards criticizing the government’s plan. Hyung-Jin Kim, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024 Underlining the link between politics and food, there is a group called Les Chefs des Chefs, a very exclusive gathering of the personal chefs of heads of state, and their slogan is ‘if politics divides people, a good table brings them together’. Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Rooted in Oakland no longer, the A’s finally ditched their slogan this week. Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2024 The endeavor has, obviously, been successful, as the slogan has worked its way into pop culture and onto the Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame in New York. David Wysong, The Enquirer, 23 Feb. 2024 On Thursday, more than 50 striking workers chanted slogans and waved union flags and signs near the staff entrance. Aurelien Breeden, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024 The slogan cuts off any further discussion, basically. Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Feb. 2024 Royals starter Brady Singer is excited about the new slogan. Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 18 Feb. 2024 The slogan Save Our Children (there is also a nonprofit called Save Our Children that has been unfairly swept up in this craziness) has now become Leave Our Kids Alone — a skillful political feint that puts fear over reality. Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'slogan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

alteration of earlier slogorn, from Scottish Gaelic sluagh-ghairm, from sluagh army, host + gairm cry

First Known Use

1513, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of slogan was in 1513

Dictionary Entries Near slogan

Cite this Entry

“Slogan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slogan. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

slogan

noun
slo·​gan ˈslō-gən How to pronounce slogan (audio)
1
: a word or phrase that calls to battle
2
: a word or phrase used by a party, a group, or a business to attract attention
Etymology

from earlier slogorn "war cry, rallying cry," from Scottish Gaelic, the ancient language of Scotland, sluagh-gairm "army cry," from sluagh "army" and ghairm "call, cry"

Word Origin
The clans of Scotland were groups of related families that joined together, especially to defend against outsiders. In the old days these outsiders might be other clans, but usually they were the English to the south. When it was time to gather members of the clan for a battle, the Scots would shout the sluagh-gairm, which meant "army cry." It is made up of the Scottish Gaelic word sluagh, meaning "army," and ghairm, meaning "call, cry." This came into English as slogorn and later became slogan. At first slogan meant a "battle cry" or "rallying cry." Later it came to be used for "a motto or phrase used by a group to attract attention."

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