simple sentence

American  

noun

• simple sentences
  plural

1. a sentence having only one clause, as I saw her the day before yesterday.

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simple sentence British  

noun

1. a sentence consisting of a single main clause Compare compound sentence complex sentence

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simple sentence Cultural  

1. A sentence containing only one independent clause and no dependent clauses: “He went home after class.” (Compare complex sentence, compound sentence, and compound-complex sentence.)

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• simple sentences
  plural

Compare meaning

How does simple-sentence compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• simple sentence vs. compound sentence

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

simple sentence

And he sums himself up with one simple sentence.

From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2025

Just like that, a simple sentence out of the blue that blindsided me.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 14, 2025

I remember how much weight he brought to one of his first "Lost" lines, the simple sentence: "Are you fine?"

From Salon ● Mar. 22, 2023

You can combine short, repetitive sentences into a simple sentence with a compound predicate or subject, as in the first example below.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 21, 2021

He told Mother to go back to the white administrator and say one simple sentence: “Bishop Sherman asked me to tell you he would like me to have a job.”

From "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals