paragraph

American  

[par-uh-graf, -grahf] / ˈpær əˌgræf, -ˌgrɑf /

noun

1. a distinct portion of written or printed matter dealing with a particular idea, usually beginning with an indentation on a new line.

2. a paragraph mark.

3. a note, item, or brief article, as in a newspaper.

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verb (used with object)

1. to divide into paragraphs.

2. to write or publish paragraphs about, as in a newspaper.

3. to express in a paragraph.

paragraph British  

/ ˈpærəˌɡrɑːf, -ˌɡræf, ˌpærəˈɡræfɪk /

noun

1. (in a piece of writing) one of a series of subsections each usually devoted to one idea and each usually marked by the beginning of a new line, indentation, increased interlinear space, etc

2. printing the character ¶, used as a reference mark or to indicate the beginning of a new paragraph

3. a short article in a newspaper

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verb

1. to form into paragraphs

2. to express or report in a paragraph

paragraph Cultural  

1. A basic unit of prose. It is usually composed of several sentences that together develop one central idea. The main sentence in a paragraph is called the topic sentence.

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Other Word Forms

• paragraphic adjective
• paragraphically adverb
• paragraphism noun
• paragraphistical adjective
• subparagraph noun
• unparagraphed adjective
• well-paragraphed adjective

Etymology

Origin of paragraph

1515–25; earlier paragraphe < Greek paragraphḗ marked passage; para- ¹, graph

Explanation

A full page of text with no visible breaks is hard to read. That’s why you break your ideas up into groups of sentences, called paragraphs. Each paragraph contains logically connected sentences about one main idea. If your teacher asks you to write a paragraph on learning vocabulary words, you will write several sentences that describe how to learn vocabulary. Each sentence will add to the topic and will connect one to the other. The length of a paragraph will vary. Your teacher might require just three or four sentences to accurately describe vocabulary learning. Unless he’s a fan of James Joyce. Then your paragraph might need to extend for pages and pages.

Example Sentences

It’s right there, the opening sentence of the second paragraph in the Fiscal Year 2027 Topline document just posted on the White House website.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

When it drafts a paragraph, ask: Did I know what I wanted to say before I asked?

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

The tone of the marketing campaign bid request itself echoes that message, with its introductory paragraph pulled directly from Newsom’s State of the State speech in January.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

Within a paragraph, Alito then suggested that Scalia would have been “appalled” by the ugliness, the coarseness of the discourse.

From Slate • Feb. 13, 2026

I’ve learned something about myself after only reading the opening paragraph!

From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass

Related Words

• clause
• portion
• quotation
• reading
• section
• sentence
• text
• transition
• verse