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hyphenate

[ verb hahy-fuh-neyt; adjective, noun hahy-fuh-nit, -neyt ]
/ verb ˈhaɪ fəˌneɪt; adjective, noun ˈhaɪ fə nɪt, -ˌneɪt /
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verb (used with object), hy·phen·at·ed, hy·phen·at·ing.
to join by a hyphen.
to write or divide with a hyphen.
adjective
of or relating to something of distinct form or origin that has been joined; connected by a hyphen.
noun
Informal. a person working or excelling in more than one craft or occupation: He's a film-industry hyphenate, usually listed as a writer-director-producer.
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Origin of hyphenate

First recorded in 1850–55; hyphen + -ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM hyphenate

hy·phen·a·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hyphenate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hyphenate

hyphenate

hyphen

/ (ˈhaɪfəˌneɪt) /

verb
(tr) to separate (syllables, words, etc) with a hyphen

Derived forms of hyphenate

hyphenation, noun
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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