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

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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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

simple sentence

A filmmaker and professor who taught an ethnographic films course I took in college changed my relationship to the genre with one simple sentence: “The only rule of a documentary is to press record.”

From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026

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

Wiegman, who has demanded more ruthlessness from her players in recent months, summed up her emotions with one simple sentence: "I think I can be very satisfied tonight!"

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2022

A simple sentence can be short or long, as shown in the examples 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

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