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

Explanation

A comma is a punctuation mark that indicates a pause in a sentence or separates items in a list. A comma is also used before the words "and" or "but" to join two independent clauses. Commas come in handy when you're writing a grocery list: "Buy candy, chocolate milk, Pop Tarts, and gum." You can also use a comma to set off an adverb at the beginning of a sentence: "Therefore, I refuse to ride the roller coaster." The word comma has been around since the 1500s, and in Latin in means "short phrase," from the Greek komma, "clause in a sentence," or literally, "piece which is cut off."

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

In a letter to critic George Jean Nathan, he described the conclusion as “merely the comma at the end of a gaudy introductory clause, with the body of the sentence still unwritten.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 15, 2025

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

From New York Times • Jun. 20, 2024

The State Opening of Parliament felt like a ceremonial comma.

From BBC • Nov. 7, 2023

My own feeling is that one shouldn’t be too rigid about the Oxford comma.

From "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Author