punctuation mark

American  

noun

1. any of a group of conventional marks or characters used in punctuation, as the period, comma, semicolon, question mark, or dash.

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punctuation mark British  

noun

1. any of the signs used in punctuation, such as a comma or question mark

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Etymology

Origin of punctuation mark

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

punctuation mark

The milestone will likely spook buyers even further, economists say, and add a disappointing punctuation mark to a year that had been expected to launch the housing market’s recovery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

The review refers to the "so-called 'rules-based international order'", putting the latter phrase in inverted commas: a kind of delegitimisation by punctuation mark.

From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2026

Because more than any other punctuation mark, the em dash is deeply human.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 20, 2025

His dog, Jesus, a striking black-and-white pit bull, followed him everywhere, tail wagging like a punctuation mark.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2025

When he sent her a telegram for their “Sixteenth Monthiversary,” he joked that each letter and punctuation mark was a code standing for “I love you!”

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield