: a sentence, phrase, or word inscribed on something as appropriate to or indicative of its character or use
"The Crossroads of America" is the motto of the state of Indiana.
2
: a short expression of a guiding principle
"Hope for the best and prepare for the worst" is my motto.
Example Sentences
“Hope for the best and prepare for the worst” is my motto. The Boy Scout motto is “Be prepared.”
Recent Examples on the WebStandout distance runner Kendra Paskvan has a motto for trail races.Anchorage Daily News, 20 May 2022 The original Murn probably had a motto similar to Peacemaker’s, if anything. Jordan Moreau, Variety, 10 Feb. 2022 The saying, a motto used by the United States Navy, means to never surrender.IndyStar, 30 Dec. 2021 Other states, in recent years, have also mandated the display of the motto. Rebekah Riess, CNN, 19 Aug. 2022 But Matt Patricia is taking this motto to another level in 2022. Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, 31 July 2022 The effectiveness of this motto is evident in our list of ADCOLOR Award honorees and winners. Isaac Mizrahi, Forbes, 11 July 2022 That could be the motto of the small community of like-minded artists that Schatz has met while photographing the lake every day. Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2022 Google once recognized its outsized public duty in its corporate motto, ‘Don’t be evil,’ and its commitment to ‘provide . . . Howard Koplowitz | Hkoplowitz@al.com, al, 21 July 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Italian, from Late Latin muttum grunt, from Latin muttire to mutter
ADJECTIVE | VERB + MOTTO | PREPOSITIONADJECTIVE➤company, family, school, state (NAmE) 公司信條;家訓;校訓;州座右銘➤unofficial非官方座右銘➤new新座右銘VERB + MOTTO➤have有座右銘◇Surfers have a motto: 'Life's a beach and then you die'.衝浪者有條座右銘 - “人生是岸,衝上就完。”➤become成為座右銘◇That phrase 'to the last man' became the motto of the 135th Infantry.“戰鬥到最後一個人”成為第 135 步兵團的座右銘。➤adopt, have sth as, use sth as以⋯為座右銘;把⋯當作座右銘◇Let's use that as our motto.咱們把那句話用作座右銘吧。➤coin杜撰格言◇He coined the motto 'Make love, not war'.他創造了這句口號:“要做愛,不要作戰。”PREPOSITION➤motto for⋯的座右銘◇a good motto for gardeners適合園丁的座右銘