comment
Americannoun
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a remark, observation, or criticism.
a comment about the weather.
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His frequent absences gave rise to comment.
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a criticism or interpretation, often by implication or suggestion.
The play is a comment on modern society.
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Digital Technology. a user response to published content on the internet, written in a designated “Comments” section, often below the published content.
There were many online comments criticizing the author.
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a note in explanation, expansion, or criticism of a passage in a book, article, or the like; annotation.
- Synonyms:
- commentary, addendum
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explanatory or critical matter added to a text.
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Also called rheme. Linguistics. the part of a sentence that communicates new information about the topic.
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
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a remark, criticism, or observation
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talk or gossip
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a note explaining or criticizing a passage in a text
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explanatory or critical matter added to a text
verb
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to remark or express an opinion
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(intr) to write notes explaining or criticizing a text
Usage
What is a basic definition of comment? A comment is a remark or observation that expresses a person’s observation or criticism. To comment is to make such a remark. A comment is also a reply from a user to published material on the internet. Comment has several other senses as a noun and a verb. When people make comments, they are giving their opinion or perspective on something in the form of an observation or criticism. Comments are usually short statements. The word commentary is used for longer criticism or a group of comments. A person who offers a comment is a commenter.
- Real-life examples: Managers often want (or pretend to want) comments from their staff when looking for feedback about something. When people chat, they often share comments about many topics, such as sports, the weather, or politics. A backseat driver delivers unwanted comments about another person’s driving abilities.
- Used in a sentence: The contractor listened to the owner’s comments about what the new house should look like.
- Used in a sentence: The company didn’t want to comment on the scandal.
- Real-life examples: News websites and YouTube videos allow users to post comments. Most websites will ban or suspend users who post especially profane or offensive comments.
- Used in a sentence: The video resulted in a lot of supportive comments from fans.
Synonym Usage
See remark.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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commentsimple
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commentssimple
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have commentedperfect
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has commentedperfect
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am commentingprogressive
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are commentingprogressive
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is commentingprogressive
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have been commentingperfect progressive
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has been commentingperfect progressive
Past
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commentedsimple
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had commentedperfect
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was commentingprogressive
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were commentingprogressive
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had been commentingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of comment
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English com(m)ent “explanatory note, comment,” from Old French comment “commentary,” from Late Latin commentum “interpretation, comment,” from Latin: “device, fabrication, falsehood,” noun use of neuter of commentus “contrived,” past participle of comminīscī “to contrive, devise”; cf. com- ( def. ), mental 1 ( def. )
Explanation
To comment is to state your opinion or make a remark on something. Of course, it's good to know when to hold your tongue. Comment on the latest movie? No problem. Comment on the annoying airport security measures while having your baggage checked? Better not. A written explanation or criticism is a comment. Your teacher's comments on your paper may thrill you when you do excellent work or unnerve you when you receive the message, "See me!" If you state your opinion, this is also a comment. Politicians talking to the press are fond of the statement, "No comment," which means they don't want to express an opinion — or more likely, they don't want to get in trouble.
Vocabulary lists containing comment
Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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"Made You Laugh"
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The Titan's Curse
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Sony Pictures Television, which produces Outlander, has been approached for comment.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Waymo declined to comment on how many of its vehicles can park at the Uber depot at a time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Salute did not respond to repeated outreach by ProPublica for comment.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
Authorities have not provided further details, and a police spokesperson didn’t immediately respond Sunday afternoon to an email and voicemail seeking comment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
May’s mouth dropped open, the wolf’s comment leaving her at a loss for words.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
His comments came ahead of the Fed’s two-day meeting that ends Wednesday with a policy decision and a scheduled press conference.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Vaughters likened his comments to rolling “a grenade down the aisle,” but the blast was both explanatory and useful.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
The tribute began with comments from Roddenberry's son Rod, who heads the production and distribution company Roddenberry Entertainment.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
The post has amassed more than 1,200 comments across Instagram and Facebook from longtime customers upset by the news.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
Mom also asked me about school and my friends, and it was so nice to talk to her—just the two of us, without my little sister interrupting with her own questions and comments.
From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks
Iran's Revolutionary Guards, meanwhile, said they had targeted an Amazon data center in Bahrain, according to state media, though neither the US tech giant nor Bahrain has commented on the claim.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
The UK Ministry of Defence has not commented on whether the base was used by the US for operations against Iran this week.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
McAfee reposted one such complaint on X and commented simply, “The Diary of a Polarizing Figure, August 14th, 2026.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
“We don’t have it on record,” Mr. Trump commented on the report, “but maybe this one they have right.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Expecting the worst, she held her head high to avoid meeting the gaze of other shoppers, but no one commented, and if anyone stared at me, she didn’t notice.
From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge
"We have been given the barest of details and whilst we are supporting the families through this we are urgently seeking a meeting with the appropriate authorities to understand the situation before commenting further."
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Saudi Arabia confirmed the Encelia had been struck, without commenting on the other tanker.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Vazquez referred to the city’s statement, which said that officials were not commenting on specific allegations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
His new special is filled with jokes about his childhood in New York and as a sharp-tongued Gen Xer commenting on the foibles of both his own generation and those of young adults.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
That didn’t stop Mrs. from commenting about Vonetta’s strands sticking out.
From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
