--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At a certain point, what people mean when…" description: "\"At a certain point, what people mean when they use a word becomes its meaning.\" — William Safire" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/577/william-safire-5116_becomes_at-a-certain-point-what-people-mean-when_2317003.png" --- # At a certain point, what people mean when they use a word… ![“At a certain point, what people mean when they use a word becomes its meaning.” quote by William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/577/william-safire-5116_becomes_at-a-certain-point-what-people-mean-when_2317003.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/577/william-safire-5116_becomes_at-a-certain-point-what-people-mean-when_2317003.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/577/william-safire-5116_becomes_at-a-certain-point-what-people-mean-when_2317003.png) > “At a certain point, what people mean when they use a word becomes its meaning.” [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Words can shift in definition as public usage changes, altering their original intent. **In simple terms:** Word meanings change with common use. Key Takeaway Watch how language evolves. Themes language semantics culture Mood reflective analytical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - political discourse - media commentary - advertising - everyday conversation Key Concepts semantic shift social construction Questions to Reflect On - How does popular usage reshape a word? - Do you notice words that have changed meaning? A Different Perspective Meanings can become ambiguous, leading to misunderstandings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Becomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/becomes/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Mean Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean-use-4161442/) [Meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-mean-564909/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Use Word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use-word-1316470/) [Word Meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/word-meaning-1298811/) ## Related quotes > [“I don’t know what most people mean when they use the word love. If they haven’t contorted their lives around a hope sharp enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-haslett/i-don-t-know-what-most-people-mean-when-they-use-the-word-love-if/) [Adam Haslett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-haslett/) > [Happiness is just a word, until a meaning is given to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zabi-khojazada/happiness-is-just-a-word-until-a-meaning-is-given-to-it/) [Zabi Khojazada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zabi-khojazada/) > [What is government if word's have no meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-lee-loughner/what-is-government-if-word-s-have-no-meaning/) [Jared Lee Loughner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-lee-loughner/) > [Power is a word the meaning of which we do not understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/power-is-a-word-the-meaning-of-which-we-do-not-understand/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“A meaning without a cause or a purpose, is just another word without a meaning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saleem-durrani/a-meaning-without-a-cause-or-a-purpose-is-just-another-word-without-a/) [Saleem Durrani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saleem-durrani/) > [Home ...Home. ...the word, ...has ...no ...meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/home-home-the-word-has-no-meaning/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [For a large class of cases -- though not for all -- in which we employ the word ''meaning'' it can be defined thus:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/for-a-large-class-of-cases-though-not-for-all-in-which-we-employ-the-2/) [Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/) > [Love is just a word, with no meaning. until someone comes and makes it mean something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shae/love-is-just-a-word-with-no-meaning-until-someone-comes-and-makes-it/) [Shae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shae/) > [It's an old Aboriginal word meaning 'Let's get together and have fun'. They gave us the word because they had no further need for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-humphries/it-s-an-old-aboriginal-word-meaning-let-s-get-together-and-have-fun/) [Barry Humphries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-humphries/) > [“A word may give me its meaning, but first it suppresses it. For me to be able to say, 'This woman' I must somehow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-blanchot/a-word-may-give-me-its-meaning-but-first-it-suppresses-it-for-me-to/) [Maurice Blanchot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-blanchot/) > [Ordinary is a word that has no meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-morgan/ordinary-is-a-word-that-has-no-meaning/) [Robin Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-morgan/) > [For a large class of cases - though not for all - in which we employ the word meaning it can be explained thus:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/for-a-large-class-of-cases-though-not-for-all-in-which-we-employ-the/) [Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/) > [Each word has a meaning, whats behind the whole sentance is someone's heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiera/each-word-has-a-meaning-whats-behind-the-whole-sentance-is-someone-s/) [Kiera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiera/) > [There is no word whose meaning has been proven to be deficient more often than the word impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-jay-taylor/there-is-no-word-whose-meaning-has-been-proven-to-be-deficient-more/) [T Jay Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-jay-taylor/) > [I don't really know what 'community' means. And I never use that word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hughes/i-don-t-really-know-what-community-means-and-i-never-use-that-word/) [Chris Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hughes/) ## More by William Safire > [The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-republicans-do-not-look-on-the-democrats-as-the-evil-empire/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/last-but-not-least-avoid-cliches-like-the-plague/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [Decide on some imperfect Somebody and you will win, because the truest truism in politics is: You can't beat Somebody with Nobody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/decide-on-some-imperfect-somebody-and-you-will-win-because-the-truest/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [Knowing how things work is the basis for appreciation, and is thus a source of civilized delight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/knowing-how-things-work-is-the-basis-for-appreciation-and-is-thus-a/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [What a joy it is to see really professional media manipulation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/what-a-joy-it-is-to-see-really-professional-media-manipulation/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [What do you call a co-worker these days? Neither teammate nor confederate will do, and partner is too legalistic. The answer brought from academia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/what-do-you-call-a-co-worker-these-days-neither-teammate-nor/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [This is what it's all about. 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Your life becomes caught up in all of the parties and this list and that list. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-johnson/hollywood-is-very-much-an-industry-town-your-life-becomes-caught-up/) [Don Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-johnson/) > [If you have more downforce, everything becomes much easier. Drivers drive better, engineers they have more room for setup, the tyres are working better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kubica/if-you-have-more-downforce-everything-becomes-much-easier-drivers/) [Robert Kubica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kubica/) > [I think being on a TV show is amazing but also, people get kind of used to seeing you a certain way and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-plaza/i-think-being-on-a-tv-show-is-amazing-but-also-people-get-kind-of/) [Aubrey Plaza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-plaza/) > [For someone who works in theatre, the rehearsal is where you discover everything. It is where magic happens, where the script enters you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-fazal/for-someone-who-works-in-theatre-the-rehearsal-is-where-you-discover/) [Ali Fazal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-fazal/) > [We spend millions of dollars to remove pain from our lives. It's why so many people get hooked on painkillers. The body becomes addicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/we-spend-millions-of-dollars-to-remove-pain-from-our-lives-it-s-why/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [As artists, we can't help but infuse our art with our own experience, so your experience becomes informative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-morrison/as-artists-we-can-t-help-but-infuse-our-art-with-our-own-experience/) [Rachel Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-morrison/) > [As politics is disconnected from its ethical and material moorings, it becomes easier to punish and imprison young people than to educate them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/as-politics-is-disconnected-from-its-ethical-and-material-moorings-it/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [It becomes dangerous for somebody who doesn't want their boss to know their sexual preference to use online networks to push for laws supporting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/it-becomes-dangerous-for-somebody-who-doesn-t-want-their-boss-to-know/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [When you try to become a good cook, in the beginning, most likely the dish is not going to be good. But you keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jannik-sinner/when-you-try-to-become-a-good-cook-in-the-beginning-most-likely-the/) [Jannik Sinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jannik-sinner/) > [It's interesting how sleepwalking in a certain way becomes an accumulation of your outside stimuli that's actually there and what's happening in your brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/it-s-interesting-how-sleepwalking-in-a-certain-way-becomes-an/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [What actor do you really take seriously who becomes a singer? It's kind of ridiculous. I can't think of anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-dunst/what-actor-do-you-really-take-seriously-who-becomes-a-singer-it-s/) [Kirsten Dunst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-dunst/) > [You don't really write a hit song - you write a great song, and then, if the public decides it's a hit, they take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nuno-bettencourt/you-don-t-really-write-a-hit-song-you-write-a-great-song-and-then-if/) [Nuno Bettencourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nuno-bettencourt/) > [When an accident or a crime happens, there's a period of time before the yellow tape goes up, before the official response becomes formalized.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-gilroy/when-an-accident-or-a-crime-happens-there-s-a-period-of-time-before/) [Dan Gilroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-gilroy/) > [Our society is so obsessed with working out to be skinny, and none of that has a purpose. I love that my daughter sees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-price/our-society-is-so-obsessed-with-working-out-to-be-skinny-and-none-of/) [Megyn Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-price/) > [It's easier for me to act in Spanish, but as soon as I get the lines in English and I know them by heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-la-reguera/it-s-easier-for-me-to-act-in-spanish-but-as-soon-as-i-get-the-lines/) [Ana de la Reguera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-la-reguera/) [Browse all 1,096 Becomes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/becomes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "At a certain point, what people mean when they use a word becomes its meaning.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Safire" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/at-a-certain-point-what-people-mean-when-they-use-a-word-becomes-its/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Becomes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/at-a-certain-point-what-people-mean-when-they-use-a-word-becomes-its/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/577/william-safire-5116_becomes_at-a-certain-point-what-people-mean-when_2317003.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/577/william-safire-5116_becomes_at-a-certain-point-what-people-mean-when_2317003.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/577/william-safire-5116_becomes_at-a-certain-point-what-people-mean-when_2317003.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“At a certain point, what people mean when they use a word becomes its meaning.” — William Safire", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "William Safire", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "At a certain point, what people...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/at-a-certain-point-what-people-mean-when-they-use-a-word-becomes-its/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/at-a-certain-point-what-people-mean-when-they-use-a-word-becomes-its/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```