clause

American  

[klawz] / klɔz /

noun

clauses plural

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

Derived Forms

• subclause
  noun
• clausal
  adjective
• subclausal
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• clauses
  plural

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

See Examples For:

clause clauses

BBC Sport has been told Tielemans' Villa contract contains a release clause, which makes negotiations easier, and that a deal is close.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

Iran’s lead negotiator in the talks with the U.S., parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, quoted the clause in arguing on social media that Iran controls the strait.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

Canadian and Mexican officials as well as members of Congress saw this coming, warning during the original hearings that a mandatory review clause would create the uncertainty that discourages investment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

Painter stressed that the Founding Fathers were so afraid of foreign influence — and the possibility of getting dragged into alliances and wars — that they put provisions like that clause in the Constitution.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026

Sometimes it really is better to pied-pipe a preposition to the beginning of a clause than to strand it at the end.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

In the lawsuit, Wynn-Williams alleges that after she was fired, she signed a severance agreement, which included a non-disparagement agreement and mandatory arbitration clauses, under duress.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

Even new artists are receiving agreements that include “AI rights clauses as a standard condition of signing.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026

Non-compete clauses, preventing coaches taking on a job with a rival team for a set amount of time, are also common.

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026

Iran's Tasnim news agency said based on their information key clauses of a possible agreement remained unresolved.

From Barron's ● May 25, 2026

Two of the companies refused to pay the full amount, citing excessive insurance clauses.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Related Words

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