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paragraph
[ par-uh-graf, -grahf ]
/ ˈpær əˌgræf, -ˌgrɑf /
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Definition of paragraph
noun
a distinct portion of written or printed matter dealing with a particular idea, usually beginning with an indentation on a new line.
a note, item, or brief article, as in a newspaper.
verb (used with object)
to divide into paragraphs.
to write or publish paragraphs about, as in a newspaper.
to express in a paragraph.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use paragraph in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for paragraph
paragraph
/ (ˈpærəˌɡrɑːf, -ˌɡræf) /
noun
(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
printing the character ¶, used as a reference mark or to indicate the beginning of a new paragraph
a short article in a newspaper
verb (tr)
to form into paragraphs
to express or report in a paragraph
Derived forms of paragraph
paragraphic (ˌpærəˈɡræfɪk) or paragraphical, adjectiveparagraphically, adverbWord Origin for paragraph
C16: from Medieval Latin paragraphus, from Greek paragraphos line drawing attention to part of a text, from paragraphein to write beside, from para- 1 + graphein to write
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
Cultural definitions for paragraph
paragraph
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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.