Showing results for em dash. Search instead for emdash.

em dash

American

noun

Printing.

a dash one em long.

em dash British

noun

printing a dash (—) one em long

"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

Compare meaning

How does em-dash compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Because more than any other punctuation mark, the em dash is deeply human.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025

Along with the now-infamous em dash, many are renouncing words for which ChatGPT is known to have a mysterious penchant, such as delve, nestled, boast, and meticulous.

From Slate • Aug. 20, 2025

In the past few weeks, things have gotten hectic for the em dash.

From Salon • Jun. 11, 2025

She also mentioned a more urgent priority, that her “birthdate be followed in the biographical index by an em dash, and then a blank space.”

From Seattle Times • Oct. 25, 2022

P. 22, "any more if-- If you come upstairs"; space after em dash deleted.

From Salome by Marshall, Emma

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023