1. profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger (Freq. 1) - expletives were deleted • Syn: curse, curse word, oath, swearing, swearword, cuss • Derivationally related forms: cuss (for: cuss), swear (for: swearing), curse (for: curse) • Hypernyms: profanity 2. a word or phrase conveying no independent meaning but added to fill out a sentence or metrical line • Hypernyms: utterance, vocalization