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Showing results for serif. Search instead for serifed.

serif

American  
[ser-if] / ˈsɛr ɪf /
especially British, ceriph

noun

Printing.
  1. a smaller line used to finish off a main stroke of a letter, as at the top and bottom of M.


serif British  
/ ˈsɛrɪf /

noun

  1. printing a small line at the extremities of a main stroke in a type character

"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

Etymology

Origin of serif

1835–45; perhaps < Dutch schreef line (in writing), akin to schrijven to write


Vocabulary lists containing serif

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

They’re swapping out traditional serif fonts and faceless boardroom photography for colorful palettes and smiling, approachable partner portraiture.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

The website for Oura, maker of the smart ring that tracks your heart rate, movement and other health metrics, features screenshots of its app interspersed with reassuring reminders in italicized serif.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2025

Its name is a pun on the sans serif group of typefaces, and the island was depicted as being shaped like a semi-colon.

From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2025

This time she wrote her messages in a childlike sans serif that a designer friend of the artist later turned into a custom font, for more efficient printing.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 2024

All of this appeared in Centurion bold type—already antiquated in 1917—with delicate hairlines separating seven columns and subheads in bold serif relief.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson

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