comma

American  

[kom-uh] / ˈkɒm ə /

noun

1. the sign (,), a mark of punctuation used for indicating a division in a sentence, as in setting off a word, phrase, or clause, especially when such a division is accompanied by a slight pause or is to be noted in order to give order to the sequential elements of the sentence. It is also used to separate items in a list, to mark off thousands in numerals, to separate types or levels of information in bibliographic and other data, and, in many European countries, as a decimal point.

2. Classical Prosody.

   1. a fragment or smaller section of a colon.

   2. the part of dactylic hexameter beginning or ending with the caesura.

   3. the caesura itself.

3. Music. the minute, virtually unheard difference in pitch between two enharmonic tones, as G♯ and A♭.

4. any of several nymphalid butterflies, including the North American Polygonia comma, having a comma-shaped silver mark on the underside of each hindwing.

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comma British  

/ ˈkɒmə /

noun

1. the punctuation mark(,) indicating a slight pause in the spoken sentence and used where there is a listing of items or to separate a nonrestrictive clause or phrase from a main clause

2. music a minute interval

3. short for comma butterfly

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comma Cultural  

1. A punctuation mark (,) used to indicate pauses and to separate elements within a sentence. “The forest abounds with oak, elm, and beech trees”; “The bassoon player was born in Roanoke, Virginia, on December 29, 1957.”

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Usage

What is a comma? The comma (,) is a punctuation mark that indicates a pause in a sentence, sets off words, phrases, or clauses, separates items in a list, and performs many other functions. The comma is one of the most versatile and commonly misused punctuation marks in English. It serves many different functions in English, such as:

• Indicating a pause in speech: I was walking down the street and, um, I was hit with a pie by a clown. 
• Separating items in a list: I put my shirts, pants, and socks into my suitcase.
• Separating adjectives: LaShona has a big, hairy dog. 
• In numbers larger than 999: I bought a computer for $1,300.
• In dates and addresses: I visited Des Moines, Iowa, on October 17, 2005.

There are many more jobs commas do. For more detailed information on how to properly use commas, read our thorough guide on them.

Etymology

Origin of comma

First recorded in 1520–30; from Late Latin: “mark of punctuation,” Latin: “division of a phrase,” from Greek kómma “piece cut off” (referring to the phrase so marked), equivalent to kop- (base of kóptein “to cut, gnaw, strike”) + -ma, noun suffix

Example Sentences

It was the most Iranian sentence I could imagine: despair and hope in the same breath, separated by a comma.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

"I agree with much of what he said, but not absolutely every word and dot and comma of it," he added.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2025

Then, it coils itself into a comma, bunching up its lower half.

From New York Times • Jun. 20, 2024

Wes doesn’t place a comma in by accident.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 14, 2023

You need only the first comma if the clause comes at the end.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner