sentence

American  

[sen-tns] / ˈsɛn tns /

noun

• sentences
  plural

1. Grammar. a grammatical unit of one or more words that expresses an independent statement, question, request, command, exclamation, etc., and that typically has a subject as well as a predicate, as in John is here. or Is John here? In print or writing, a sentence typically begins with a capital letter and ends with appropriate punctuation; in speech it displays recognizable, communicative intonation patterns and is often marked by preceding and following pauses.

2. Law.

   1. an authoritative decision; a judicial judgment or decree, especially the judicial determination of the punishment to be inflicted on a convicted criminal.

      Knowledgeable sources say that the judge will announce the sentence early next week.

   2. the punishment itself; term.

      a three-year sentence.

3. Music. a complete idea, usually consisting of eight to sixteen measures; period.

4. Archaic. a saying, apothegm, or maxim.

5. Obsolete. an opinion given on a particular question.

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verb (used with object)

• sentences,
  present (3rd person singular)
• sentenced,
  past participle,  past
• sentencing
  present participle

1. to pronounce sentence upon; condemn to punishment.

   The judge sentenced her to six months in jail.

sentence British  

/ ˈsɛntəns /

noun

1. a sequence of words capable of standing alone to make an assertion, ask a question, or give a command, usually consisting of a subject and a predicate containing a finite verb

2. the judgment formally pronounced upon a person convicted in criminal proceedings, esp the decision as to what punishment is to be imposed

3. an opinion, judgment, or decision

4. music another word for period

5. any short passage of scripture employed in liturgical use

   the funeral sentences

6. logic a well-formed expression, without variables

7. archaic a proverb, maxim, or aphorism

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verb

1. (tr) to pronounce sentence on (a convicted person) in a court of law

   the judge sentenced the murderer to life imprisonment

Grammar

A sentence is the largest grammatical unit in language. It communicates a complete thought—an assertion, question, command, or exclamation. In general, assertions and questions—the overwhelming majority of sentences—require a subject and a verb, put together in a way that can stand alone, resulting in what is called an independent clause ( main clause ): He kicked the ball is a sentence. After he kicked the ball is not a sentence; instead it is a dependent clause ( subordinate clause ). Even though it has a subject and a verb, it needs to be connected to something in order to complete the assertion: After he kicked the ball, he fell down; or He fell down after he kicked the ball. In the case of commands, the subject need not be written because “you” is understood: Go home! means You go home! And exclamations clearly express excitement, alarm, anger, or the like with no need for either a subject or a verb: Wow! Gadzooks! Ouch! In everyday speech we routinely use phrases or clauses that would not make a complete sentence—so-called sentence fragments —because the conversation or the circumstances make the meaning clear. For example, we might answer a question like “Where did you go?” with “To the store,” or “Why can’t I stay out till midnight?” with “Because I say so,” or “What are you doing?” with “Trying to fix this toaster,” instead of “I went to the store,” “You can't stay out that late because I say so,” or “I am trying to fix this toaster.” In written dialogue sentence fragments are perfectly acceptable. They would generally be regarded as sentences simply because they begin with a capital letter and end with a suitable punctuation mark. But they are not sentences in a strict grammatical sense. And as a rule, sentence fragments are frowned upon in formal or expository writing. They can be useful—indeed, powerful—but in such writing they are effective only if used sparingly, in order to achieve a deliberate special effect: We will not give up fighting for this cause. Not now. Not ever.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• resentence
  noun
• sentencer
  noun
• presentence
  verb (used with object)
• sentential
  adjective
• unsentenced
  adjective
• sententially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sentences
  plural

Participles

• sentencing
  present
• sentenced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• sentence
  simple
• sentences
  simple
• have sentenced
  perfect
• has sentenced
  perfect
• am sentencing
  progressive
• are sentencing
  progressive
• is sentencing
  progressive
• have been sentencing
  perfect progressive
• has been sentencing
  perfect progressive

Past

• sentenced
  simple
• had sentenced
  perfect
• was sentencing
  progressive
• were sentencing
  progressive
• had been sentencing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will sentence
  simple
• will have sentenced
  perfect
• will be sentencing
  progressive
• will have been sentencing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of sentence

First recorded in 1175–1225; (noun) Middle English, from Old French, frpm Latin sententia “opinion, decision,” equivalent to sent- (base of sentīre “to feel”) + -entia -ence; (verb) Middle English: “to pass judgment, decide judicially,” from Old French sentencier, derivative of sentence

Explanation

A sentence can be a group of words that communicate a complete thought, or it can be the punishment in a criminal case. Did your pen pal in prison write a sentence or two about the length of his sentence? Actually, both meanings of sentence — words and punishment — are linked, coming from the Latin sententia, meaning "thought or judgment," derived from the verb sentire, "to feel or perceive." If you put some words before a period, you should give some thought to your sentence. If you receive a lengthy prison sentence, you will certainly feel it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sentence sentences sentenced sentencing

It’s a sentence we hoped we’d never have to write: Hong Kong’s government this week released its first five-year economic plan.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

He’d been stunned by his star’s nearly centurylong sentence and came away from a review of the case suspecting that Walters may have been wrongfully convicted.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

She cannot be given a prison sentence but could be given a treatment order or an absolute discharge.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

The maximum sentence Nick Reiner will face is life in prison without possibility of parole.

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

It certainly wasn’t coming from Dreyfus, who was then serving a life sentence on Devil’s Island, Simon’s former home.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

Walters’ supporters further argue that Oxford’s statements implicating Walters—as well as Travis’ testimony against him—were tainted, the result of the men being coerced by police and angling for lighter sentences.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

Against that backdrop, 88 percent of Brazilians favor tougher sentences for criminals and 79 percent support lowering the age of criminal responsibility, according to recent polls.

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

Once their current sentences end, they face extradition to South Carolina on the new charges.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

After their sentences were handed down, Lee appeared to pray as he was led out of the dock, while Chow blew a kiss to those seated in the public gallery.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

Lots of the printed sentences are slashed through with red.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

The pardon does not appear to extend to a separate case in December where Najib was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

No one had died in the attack, but following a jury’s recommendation, Graham sentenced Walters to 92 years in prison.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

In 1998, Max was sentenced to community service teaching art in Harlem and a $30,000 fine after prosecutors charged him with concealing $714,000 in income from art sales between 1988 and 1991.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

She was sentenced to 10 years, half on licence.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

After a round of applause for the cooks—the twins looking like they were being sentenced to a year’s worth of dishwashing—everyone dug in.

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser

Then, about 15 years ago, legislators changed sentencing laws in ways that caused the prison population to drop, and the prisons started going away.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly did not immediately schedule a sentencing hearing for him.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

Following Calocane's sentencing to a hospital order in January 2024, a series of failings by authorities emerged, including the police, which led to calls by the affected families for a statutory public inquiry.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

Williamson’s attorney McGregor Scott, asked the court to delay her Sept. 17 sentencing and seal documents related to her health condition.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

Aldrich Ames is led from the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, following his sentencing in 1994.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Related Words

• censure
• decision
• edict
• judgment
• order
• penalty
• punishment
• ruling
• term
• verdict