clause

American  

[klawz] / klɔz /

noun

1. Grammar. a syntactic construction containing a subject and predicate and forming part of a sentence or constituting a whole simple sentence.

2. a distinct article or provision in a contract, treaty, will, or other formal or legal written document.

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clause British  

/ klɔːz /

noun

1. grammar a group of words, consisting of a subject and a predicate including a finite verb, that does not necessarily constitute a sentence See also main clause subordinate clause coordinate clause

2. a section of a legal document such as a contract, will, or draft statute

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clause Cultural  

1. A group of words in a sentence that contains a subject and predicate. (See dependent clause and independent clause.)

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Other Word Forms

• clausal
  adjective
• subclausal
  adjective
• subclause
  noun

Etymology

Origin of clause

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English claus(e), from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin clausa, back formation from Latin clausula clausula

Explanation

A clause is a group of words with a subject and verb. That kind of clause is handy when talking about grammar. Another kind of clause is a provision or stipulation in a legal contract. Clause is a noun that comes from the old French clause, which, if we trace it way back, comes from the Latin clausula, “the end, a closing termination.” Around 1300, the “ending” implication of the word began to fade and was replaced by “article or section of a text.” In the grammatical sense, every sentence must have at least one independent clause. And in the legal sense, documents like prenuptial agreements or job contract often contain clauses.

Example Sentences

Social Security comes with a survivorship clause, meaning that when the spouse getting the higher Social Security payments dies, the surviving spouse can trade up and get the higher of the two payments.

From MarketWatch • May 1, 2026

Microsoft and OpenAI signed a revised agreement, capping revenue sharing through 2030 and removing a controversial clause.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

The bill’s emergency clause says this is “deemed necessary for the immediate preservation of the public health, welfare, peace, and safety.”

From Salon • Apr. 27, 2026

Uefa says that a European titleholder must get European football, but there is no clause to cover this in the MCO regulations.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

Rewrite my will with a clause about my bequeathing the drawing to them.

From "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" by E.L. Konigsburg

Related Words

• article
• paragraph
• passage
• provision
• requirement
• section
• specification
• stipulation