simple sentence

American  

noun

simple sentences plural

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

---

simple sentence British  

noun

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

---

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.)

---

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

And he sums himself up with one simple sentence.

From BBC • Dec. 4, 2025

He credits Welty with transforming him in one simple sentence.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 15, 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

It is tough to resist the opportunity to go for the cute, simple sentence when pointing out that "The Problem with Jon Stewart" has, shall we say, issues to overcome.

From Salon • Sep. 30, 2021

My owl came back with a letter containing one simple sentence: “Tell your husband to refute these allegations about my son once and for all.”

From "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by J.K. Rowling