simple sentence

American  

noun

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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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

Donovan notes that Sarah suggesting Abraham lie with Hagar in Genesis 16 initially comes across as a straightforward and simple sentence.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

And he sums himself up with one simple sentence.

From BBC • Dec. 4, 2025

“It was a very simple sentence, but it profoundly effected everything I’ve done.”

From Washington Post • Jan. 6, 2022

The phrases in the long sentence add information, but the sentence remains a simple sentence nonetheless because it has only one clause.

From Textbooks • Dec. 21, 2021

Cecilia was lost to the events of ten minutes before and could not have composed a simple sentence.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan