paragraph

[ par-uh-graf, -grahf ]

/ ˈpær əˌgræf, -ˌgrɑf /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR paragraph ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

a paragraph mark.

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.

Nearby words

paragonimus, paragonimus westermani, paragonite, paragould, paragrammatism, paragraph, paragraph mark, paragrapher, paragraphia, paragraphic, paraguay

Origin of paragraph

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

Related forms

par·a·graph·ism, nounpar·a·gra·phis·ti·cal

[par-uh-gruh-fis-ti-kuh l] /ˌpær ə grəˈfɪs tɪ kəl/, adjectivesub·par·a·graph, nounun·par·a·graphed, adjective

well-par·a·graphed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for paragraph

It goes on like that for another half a paragraph, but you get the idea.
David Mitchell’s ‘The Bone Clocks’ Is Fun But Mostly Empty Calories|William O’Connor|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If the story fell apart by the first paragraph, it would not save itself by the end.
Amy Tan: How I Write|Noah Charney|December 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Fineman enumerates “15 Reasons Why American Politics Has Become An Apocalyptic Mess,” each summarized in just one paragraph.
Why Money Is the Root of All That’s Wrong With Washington|Lawrence Lessig|October 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And writers seem to get it a lot, the relationship between words and page and phrase and paragraph, or stanza.
The Writer and the Potter: Edmund De Waal on his New York Debut|Iain Millar|September 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST

So—most of these stories are vignettes: short shorts, sketches, lightning flashes of fiction that last only a paragraph or two.
Intriguing, Humorous, Even Poetic: Peter Orner’s New Story Collection|Joseph Peschel|August 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Gimblet read the paragraph twice, and then pushing back his chair walked restlessly about the room.
Mrs. Vanderstein's jewels|Mrs. Charles Bryce
I note the second paragraph of your letter, in which you say, "In reply, etc."
Self-Determining Haiti|James Weldon Johnson
He pointed to the paragraph beginning, "I have made the mistake which many girls make."
Flower of the Dusk|Myrtle Reed
Though the paragraph in question be clumsily expressed, yet it strictly announces its own intentions.
Memoir, Correspondence, And Miscellanies, From The Papers Of Thomas Jefferson|Thomas Jefferson
Kate fetched the paper, and pointing to the paragraph, placed it in his hands.
Englefield Grange|H. B. Paull

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

paragraphic (ˌpærəˈɡræfɪk) or paragraphical, adjectiveparagraphically, adverb

Word 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

Culture 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.