paragraph
Americannoun
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a distinct portion of written or printed matter dealing with a particular idea, usually beginning with an indentation on a new line.
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a note, item, or brief article, as in a newspaper.
verb (used with object)
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to divide into paragraphs.
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to write or publish paragraphs about, as in a newspaper.
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to express in a paragraph.
noun
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(in a piece of writing) one of a series of subsections each usually devoted to one idea and each usually marked by the beginning of a new line, indentation, increased interlinear space, etc
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printing the character ¶, used as a reference mark or to indicate the beginning of a new paragraph
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a short article in a newspaper
verb
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to form into paragraphs
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to express or report in a paragraph
Other Word Forms
- paragraphic adjective
- paragraphically adverb
- paragraphism noun
- paragraphistical adjective
- subparagraph noun
- unparagraphed adjective
- well-paragraphed adjective
Etymology
Origin of paragraph
1515–25; earlier paragraphe < Greek paragraphḗ marked passage; para- 1, graph
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.
But this is made complex by his vast cast of characters whose minds he often thrusts in and out of — sometimes even between individual sentences or paragraphs.
From Los Angeles Times
Before we get down to business, I have a confession to make: I wrote two whole paragraphs of the story you’re reading right now, calling the film “Reminders of Him” by the wrong name.
From Salon
Four or five paragraphs were devoted to detailing the theater design—Oriental deities, minarets, hanging rugs, burning incense.
From Literature
He put his hand over my hand, and the placement of his hand spoke a whole sentence, a whole paragraph.
From Literature
In a couple of quick paragraphs, he said Iraq's ruler Saddam Hussein should comply with the United Nations resolutions to pull out of Kuwait.
From BBC
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.
