punctuation

American  

[puhngk-choo-ey-shuhn] / ˌpʌŋk tʃuˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the practice or system of using certain conventional marks or characters in writing or printing in order to separate elements and make the meaning clear, as in ending a sentence or separating clauses.

2. the act of punctuating.

3. punctuation marks.

4. Biology. the sudden or accelerated extinction of some species and emergence of others, occurring only in isolated periods, as set forth in the theory of punctuated equilibrium.

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punctuation British  

/ ˌpʌŋktjʊˈeɪʃən /

noun

1. the use of symbols not belonging to the alphabet of a writing system to indicate aspects of the intonation and meaning not otherwise conveyed in the written language

2. the symbols used for this purpose

3. the act or an instance of punctuating

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Other Word Forms

• nonpunctuation noun
• punctuational adjective
• punctuative adjective
• repunctuation noun

Etymology

Origin of punctuation

First recorded in 1530–40; from Medieval Latin pūnctuātiōn- (stem of pūnctuātiō ) “a marking, pointing”; punctuate, -ion

Example Sentences

Cinnamon sugar on top adds crunch, a tactile punctuation mark that makes every bite feel deliberate.

From Salon

Green beans show up snappy and smoky from their brief time in a hot wok, with nice punctuation from olive vegetable, an earthy Chinese condiment made in part with preserved mustard greens.

From Washington Post

The Chicago Manual of Style says the punctuation should be used “sparingly to be effective.”

From Washington Post

Though there were many spelling and punctuation errors and wrongly used words, the teacher gave them a high mark.

From Washington Post

Former President Donald Trump continues to issue daily comments about the state of things in America, often with some emphatic punctuation.

From Washington Times