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em dash

American  

noun

Printing.
  1. a dash one em long.


em dash British  

noun

  1. 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

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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.

And he admits it, naturally, with an em dash.

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

The fact that no one has stepped forward with a firsthand account of false accusation is immaterial because the em dash drama plays on existing anxieties.

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. 139, "walking with them, and-- But if mother"; space after em dash deleted.

From Salome by Marshall, Emma

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