clause

[ klawz ]

/ klɔz /

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See synonyms for: clause / clauses on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

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

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“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

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Origin of clause

1175–1225; Middle English claus(e) (<Anglo-French ) <Medieval Latin clausa, back formation from Latin clausulaclausula

OTHER WORDS FROM clause

clausal, adjectivesub·claus·al, adjectivesubclause, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH clause

clause , claws

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use clause in a sentence

Senhor José remains stationary, but this lengthy series of clauses propels the reader along an unmarked path.
The Lost Novel of Nobel-Winner José Saramago|Charles Shafaieh|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Specifically, more couples are beginning to request digital privacy clauses in prenuptial and post-nuptial agreements.
Does Your Marriage Need a Digital Privacy Clause?|Keli Goff|April 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But public figures are not the only ones who need to weigh the costs and benefits of digital privacy clauses.
Does Your Marriage Need a Digital Privacy Clause?|Keli Goff|April 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Activists say they've come across contracts with all sorts of unreasonable and downright illegal clauses.
Singapore’s Exploited Immigrant Workers|Kirsten Han|November 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Italy and Greece both have clauses under which women can give birth anonymously.
Europe’s Growing Crisis of Abandoned Babies|Barbie Latza Nadeau|July 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Then followed various clauses defining the duties and authority with which Mr. Hunt, as Manager, was invested.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
They might beat government on different clauses; but all that was done in the committee might be undone on bringing up the report.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III.|E. Farr and E. H. Nolan
On these grounds, therefore, he moved that the first and second clauses of the bill should be postponed.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III.|E. Farr and E. H. Nolan
In these sentiments the lord-chancellor coincided; the clauses, he said, were as necessary as any others.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III.|E. Farr and E. H. Nolan
On a division, the motion to omit all the appropriation clauses was carried by one hundred and thirty-eight against forty-one.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III.|E. Farr and E. H. Nolan

British Dictionary definitions for clause

clause

/ (klɔːz) /

noun

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

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

Derived forms of clause

clausal, adjective

Word Origin for clause

C13: from Old French, from Medieval Latin clausa a closing (of a rhetorical period), back formation from Latin clausula, from claudere to close

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for clause

clause

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

clause

Origin of clause

OTHER WORDS FROM clause

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH clause

Words related to clause

How to use clause in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for clause

Derived forms of clause

Word Origin for clause

Cultural definitions for clause