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Definition of "punctuation" []

  • The use of standard marks and signs in writing and printing to separate words into sentences, clauses, and phrases in order to clarify meaning. (noun)
  • The marks so used. (noun)
  • The act or an instance of punctuating. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "punctuation" in a sentence
  • "Now,. most people could figure that out,. still my punctuation is as you say not perfect."
  • "On this Mr. Everett remarks, "now the points, commonly so called, have nothing to do with the division of a sentence into its members, or with what we call punctuation; but Mr. English intended to intimate, that according to the accents, the verse should be divided as he proposes." (p. 110, of Mr. Everett's work.)"
  • "The system of pointing ( "punctuation" derives from the Latin word punctus ` point ') is too valuable."