comma

[ kom-uh ]

See synonyms for comma on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.
Classical Prosody.
- a fragment or smaller section of a colon.
- the part of dactylic hexameter beginning or ending with the caesura.
- the caesura itself.

Music. the minute, virtually unheard difference in pitch between two enharmonic tones, as G♯ and A♭.
any of several nymphalid butterflies, including the North American Polygonia comma, having a comma-shaped silver mark on the underside of each hindwing.

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

Words Nearby comma

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use comma in a sentence

I wanted it to be a dramedy, although I’d call it more of a comma.
How ‘Freaks and Geeks’ went from misfit dramedy to cult classic, as told by its cast and creators: ‘People just like it so much that it thrusts itself from the grave’ | Sonia Rao | January 27, 2021 | Washington Post
Fake ones use more generic words like “vacation,” “family” and “experience” accompanied by a lot of commas and exclamation marks.
How to spot fake reviews on travel sites | Roy Furchgott | October 29, 2020 | Washington Post
The analysis found characteristics strongly suggestive of bots — such as double commas and dangling commas that often appear with automatic scripts — though at least some of the accounts were being operated by humans.
Pro-Trump youth group enlists teens in secretive campaign likened to a ‘troll farm,’ prompting rebuke by Facebook and Twitter | Isaac Stanley-Becker | September 15, 2020 | Washington Post
Cut down on any unnecessary characters like commas and spaces.
Why site speed is critical for your SEO success and how to make it happen | Anthony Gaenzle | September 4, 2020 | Search Engine Watch
Those little tiny objects are made up of unintelligible commas, spaces, numbers and all sorts of nebulous characters.
SEO on a shoestring budget: What small business owners can do to win | Ali Faagba | June 4, 2020 | Search Engine Watch

Can it be exported to Excel, or a comma-separated file, for instance?
Self-Tracking for N00bz | Jamie Todd Rubin | July 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It was more like punctuation, a real life comma that emphasizes the constant pressures of our daily schedule.
Why Men Shouldn’t Wait To Have Kids | Conor P. Williams | March 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Sort of a combination grammar and punctuation problem, is what I call the “however comma splice.”
Ben Yagoda: How I Not Write Bad | Noah Charney | February 13, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Power is the subject, and the execution is precise—even if this book will make you miss the comma terribly.
Nicholson Baker, Katie Kitamura, and This Week’s Hot Reads: July 30, 2012 | Jimmy So | July 30, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Is it a kind of punctuation, part comma, part full stop, part interrogatory mark?
Does Mitt Romney Know How to Laugh? | Michael Tomasky | May 21, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
It was bordered by trees for almost its entire length on both sides, and it was shaped like a enormous, elongated comma.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn | Margaret Penrose
Page 229 Chapter X a comma was inserted in the phrase 'he would secure the competence he had yearned for, for so many years'.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume II (of 3) | Charles James Wills
It was done to please him; for I omitted neither accent, nor comma, nor the minutest tittle of all he had marked down.
The Best of the World's Classics, Restricted to Prose, Vol. VII (of X)--Continental Europe I | Various
Lucas bore it patiently; he didn't want his great-grandchildren and Elaine's shooting it out over a matter of a misplaced comma.
Space Viking | Henry Beam Piper
And even if nobody read it through, not even a reviewer, I should have to without skipping a word or a comma.
Balloons | Elizabeth Bibesco

British Dictionary definitions for comma

comma

/ (ˈkɒmə) /

noun

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
music a minute interval

short for comma butterfly

Origin of comma

C16: from Latin, from Greek komma clause, from koptein to cut

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 comma

comma

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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