punctuate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to mark or divide (something written) with punctuation marks in order to make the meaning clear.
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to interrupt at intervals.
Cheers punctuated the mayor's speech.
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to give emphasis or force to; emphasize; underline.
verb (used without object)
verb
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(also intr) to insert punctuation marks into (a written text)
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to interrupt or insert at frequent intervals
a meeting punctuated by heckling
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to give emphasis to
Other Word Forms
- nonpunctuating adjective
- punctuator noun
- repunctuate verb (used with object)
- unpunctuated adjective
- unpunctuating adjective
Etymology
Origin of punctuate
1625–35; < Medieval Latin pūnctuātus (past participle of pūnctuāre to point), derivative of Latin pūnctus a pricking; punctual
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s obviously being used to punctuate the ending of a chapter with the show coming to a close.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 17, 2026
As if to punctuate his asinine decision, Marin makes a braying donkey noise.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2025
Large murals celebrating the city's automotive history punctuate the scenery.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2025
Director Philip Barantini pulls in for tight closeups and fades in and out of sound, bringing in the pattering of the rain outside to punctuate the blow of Jamie’s worldview.
From Salon • Mar. 18, 2025
And she took it away again, immediately afterward, so that it would be no less splendid on the Sunday of the great dinner that was officially to punctuate the revival.
From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
