statement

American  

[stayt-muhnt] / ˈsteɪt mənt /

noun

• statements
  plural

1. something stated.

2. a communication or declaration in speech or writing, setting forth facts, particulars, etc.

3. a single sentence or assertion.

   I agree with everything you said except for your last statement.

4. Commerce. an abstract of an account, as one rendered to show the balance due.

5. an appearance of a theme, subject, or motif within a musical composition.

6. the act or manner of stating something.

7. the communication of an idea, position, mood, or the like through something other than words.

   The furniture in the room makes a statement about the occupant's love of color. Walking out of the meeting will be a statement of our refusal to submit.

8. Computers. an instruction or other elementary component in a high-level programming language.

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adjective

1. noting or relating to an item of jewelry, clothing, home décor, etc., that stands out usually because of its large size or bold design.

   a statement necklace, a statement bowl for your entryway table.

statement British  

/ ˈsteɪtmənt /

noun

1. the act of stating

2. something that is stated, esp a formal prepared announcement or reply

3. law a declaration of matters of fact, esp in a pleading

4. an account containing a summary of bills or invoices and displaying the total amount due

5. an account prepared by a bank for each of its clients, usually at regular intervals, to show all credits and debits since the last account and the balance at the end of the period

6. music the presentation of a musical theme or idea, such as the subject of a fugue or sonata

7. a computer instruction written in a source language, such as FORTRAN, which is converted into one or more machine code instructions by a compiler

8. logic the content of a sentence that affirms or denies something and may be true or false; what is thereby affirmed or denied abstracted from the act of uttering it. Thus I am warm said by me and you are warm said to me make the same statement Compare proposition

9. education a legally binding account of the needs of a pupil with special educational needs and the provisions that will be made to meet them

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verb

1. to assess (a pupil) with regard to his or her special educational needs

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonstatement
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• statements
  plural

Etymology

Origin of statement

First recorded in 1750–55; state (verb) + -ment

Explanation

A statement is a sentence that says something is true, like "Pizza is delicious." There are other kinds of statements in the worlds of the law, banking, and government. All statements claim something or make a point. If you witness an accident, you make a statement to police, describing what you saw. You get a statement from your bank, a monthly record of what you spent and what you have left. Sometimes a statement isn't so official — it's just some kind of point being made. People say someone's car makes a statement — or their clothes do. Running away on your wedding day would make a huge statement.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

statement statements

“The Tehama County Sheriff’s Office recognizes the profound impact this tragedy has had on the families of those who lost their lives, the survivors, and the community,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

The woman, who cannot be named to protect her anonymity, read an emotional statement at Liverpool Crown Court and faced the dock as she told Theaker "monsters never win".

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

But the authorities were "keeping an open mind", she added in a statement.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

Channeling his client from afar, Pattis read a statement in which Diamantis again professed “my absolute innocence.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

She had all the pieces together, scripts, a title, a mission statement, to bring Second Avenue’s Yiddish theater history back to life.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Under pressure from powerful critics, elite universities have begun to make changes such as adopting statements of institutional neutrality, capping grade inflation, promising to protect open inquiry and establishing civics centers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Nathan Hochman’s handling of the case, objecting to the statements his office released earlier this year.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

She added: "I reject all attempts to decontextualise past statements I have made."

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

People should rely solely on official statements from Russian health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, he insisted.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

However, the mother knows people listen to absolute statements, so she says in a tired voice, "I want to forget the past."

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

Related Words

• account
• affidavit
• allegation
• announcement
• assurance
• charge
• comment
• description
• explanation
• presentation
• proclamation
• remark
• report
• testimony
• word