sentence

American  

[sen-tns] / ˈsɛn tns /

noun

• sentences
  plural

1. Grammar. a grammatical unit of one or more words that expresses an independent statement, question, request, command, exclamation, etc., and that typically has a subject as well as a predicate, as in John is here. or Is John here? In print or writing, a sentence typically begins with a capital letter and ends with appropriate punctuation; in speech it displays recognizable, communicative intonation patterns and is often marked by preceding and following pauses.

2. Law.

   1. an authoritative decision; a judicial judgment or decree, especially the judicial determination of the punishment to be inflicted on a convicted criminal.

      Knowledgeable sources say that the judge will announce the sentence early next week.

   2. the punishment itself; term.

      a three-year sentence.

3. Music. a complete idea, usually consisting of eight to sixteen measures; period.

4. Archaic. a saying, apothegm, or maxim.

5. Obsolete. an opinion given on a particular question.

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verb (used with object)

• sentences,
  present (3rd person singular)
• sentenced,
  past participle,  past
• sentencing
  present participle

1. to pronounce sentence upon; condemn to punishment.

   The judge sentenced her to six months in jail.

sentence British  

/ ˈsɛntəns /

noun

1. a sequence of words capable of standing alone to make an assertion, ask a question, or give a command, usually consisting of a subject and a predicate containing a finite verb

2. the judgment formally pronounced upon a person convicted in criminal proceedings, esp the decision as to what punishment is to be imposed

3. an opinion, judgment, or decision

4. music another word for period

5. any short passage of scripture employed in liturgical use

   the funeral sentences

6. logic a well-formed expression, without variables

7. archaic a proverb, maxim, or aphorism

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verb

1. (tr) to pronounce sentence on (a convicted person) in a court of law

   the judge sentenced the murderer to life imprisonment

Grammar

A sentence is the largest grammatical unit in language. It communicates a complete thought—an assertion, question, command, or exclamation. In general, assertions and questions—the overwhelming majority of sentences—require a subject and a verb, put together in a way that can stand alone, resulting in what is called an independent clause ( main clause ): He kicked the ball is a sentence. After he kicked the ball is not a sentence; instead it is a dependent clause ( subordinate clause ). Even though it has a subject and a verb, it needs to be connected to something in order to complete the assertion: After he kicked the ball, he fell down; or He fell down after he kicked the ball. In the case of commands, the subject need not be written because “you” is understood: Go home! means You go home! And exclamations clearly express excitement, alarm, anger, or the like with no need for either a subject or a verb: Wow! Gadzooks! Ouch! In everyday speech we routinely use phrases or clauses that would not make a complete sentence—so-called sentence fragments —because the conversation or the circumstances make the meaning clear. For example, we might answer a question like “Where did you go?” with “To the store,” or “Why can’t I stay out till midnight?” with “Because I say so,” or “What are you doing?” with “Trying to fix this toaster,” instead of “I went to the store,” “You can't stay out that late because I say so,” or “I am trying to fix this toaster.” In written dialogue sentence fragments are perfectly acceptable. They would generally be regarded as sentences simply because they begin with a capital letter and end with a suitable punctuation mark. But they are not sentences in a strict grammatical sense. And as a rule, sentence fragments are frowned upon in formal or expository writing. They can be useful—indeed, powerful—but in such writing they are effective only if used sparingly, in order to achieve a deliberate special effect: We will not give up fighting for this cause. Not now. Not ever.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• resentence
  noun
• sentencer
  noun
• presentence
  verb (used with object)
• sentential
  adjective
• unsentenced
  adjective
• sententially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sentences
  plural

Participles

• sentencing
  present
• sentenced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• sentence
  simple
• sentences
  simple
• have sentenced
  perfect
• has sentenced
  perfect
• am sentencing
  progressive
• are sentencing
  progressive
• is sentencing
  progressive
• have been sentencing
  perfect progressive
• has been sentencing
  perfect progressive

Past

• sentenced
  simple
• had sentenced
  perfect
• was sentencing
  progressive
• were sentencing
  progressive
• had been sentencing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will sentence
  simple
• will have sentenced
  perfect
• will be sentencing
  progressive
• will have been sentencing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of sentence

First recorded in 1175–1225; (noun) Middle English, from Old French, frpm Latin sententia “opinion, decision,” equivalent to sent- (base of sentīre “to feel”) + -entia -ence; (verb) Middle English: “to pass judgment, decide judicially,” from Old French sentencier, derivative of sentence

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Explanation

A sentence can be a group of words that communicate a complete thought, or it can be the punishment in a criminal case. Did your pen pal in prison write a sentence or two about the length of his sentence? Actually, both meanings of sentence — words and punishment — are linked, coming from the Latin sententia, meaning "thought or judgment," derived from the verb sentire, "to feel or perceive." If you put some words before a period, you should give some thought to your sentence. If you receive a lengthy prison sentence, you will certainly feel it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sentence sentences sentenced sentencing

But King Sultan Ibrahim granted him a conditional pardon in September, allowing him to serve out the rest of his sentence at home provided he pay the fine.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

He is currently appealing the 15-year sentence, which is only set to start once the six-year sentence is completed.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

Attorney General Ellie Reeves, who was Solicitor General at the time, referred the sentence to the Court of Appeal, while Digwa sought permission to challenge it as "manifestly excessive".

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s grant of clemency to the 548 people under a death sentence in his state is a singular event in the history of America’s death penalty.

From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2026

He’s shaking his head vehemently before I even finish that sentence.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

In the past few months, it has given the green light to commutations of sentences of life without parole so that they “can be eligible for a parole suitability hearing.”

From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2026

Newsom can commute about 40% of the death sentences with the stroke of a pen, but the rest will require the high court’s approval in order to be finalized.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

Some of his co-defendants in that case have been released in recent months after completing their sentences.

From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026

“And that’s become really valuable in a world where you can prompt two sentences and get a result that looks OK, looks good enough.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

The most famous Supreme Court decision upholding mandatory minimum sentences is Lockyer v.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Lai, 78, was sentenced to 20 years in prison earlier this year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

The machine of justice was so grinding that Figueroa did not understand he had been sentenced to death until he got to San Quentin.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

And the governor noted that “innocent people have been sentenced to death in California.”

From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2026

Joshua Wong, once the face of Hong Kong's democracy movement, has been sentenced to 10 years in jail for colluding with foreign forces under the city's sweeping national security law.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

The judge accepted Ian's plea and then sentenced him to life with no parole.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Brand was refused bail following his conviction on Thursday and will now spend the weekend in custody before he is due to return to the same court on Monday for sentencing.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

Police are searching for a man who gained access to hospital wards and patients' files for several weeks while pretending to be a medical student, after he failed to appear for sentencing.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

Louis Lee, a friend of the activist, said Wong remained "energetic" behind bars but was sometimes "worried and nervous" about the sentencing.

From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026

A lawyer for Jensen said they expect a sentencing hearing in the coming months.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

"We can file the plea now, and go for sentencing on the 22nd."

From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos

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Related Words

• censure
• decision
• edict
• judgment
• order
• penalty
• punishment
• ruling
• term
• verdict

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