clause

American  

[klawz] / klɔz /

noun

clauses plural

1. Grammar. a syntactic construction containing a subject and predicate and forming part of a sentence or constituting a whole simple sentence.

2. a distinct article or provision in a contract, treaty, will, or other formal or legal written document.

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clause British  

/ klɔːz /

noun

1. grammar a group of words, consisting of a subject and a predicate including a finite verb, that does not necessarily constitute a sentence See also main clause subordinate clause coordinate clause

2. a section of a legal document such as a contract, will, or draft statute

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clause Cultural  

1. A group of words in a sentence that contains a subject and predicate. (See dependent clause and independent clause.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subclause
  noun
• clausal
  adjective
• subclausal
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• clauses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of clause

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English claus(e), from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin clausa, back formation from Latin clausula clausula

Explanation

A clause is a group of words with a subject and verb. That kind of clause is handy when talking about grammar. Another kind of clause is a provision or stipulation in a legal contract. Clause is a noun that comes from the old French clause, which, if we trace it way back, comes from the Latin clausula, “the end, a closing termination.” Around 1300, the “ending” implication of the word began to fade and was replaced by “article or section of a text.” In the grammatical sense, every sentence must have at least one independent clause. And in the legal sense, documents like prenuptial agreements or job contract often contain clauses.

Example Sentences

The first clause mentions Lebanon three times and commits the U.S. to ensuring its territorial integrity and sovereignty.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026

Second, and most critically, are the cases’ tests of the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause, which protects against discrimination.

From Salon • Jun. 18, 2026

An acquisition had looked possible after the two companies had announced a partnership in April that included a clause for Cursor to be potentially bought by SpaceX for $60 billion.

From Barron's • Jun. 16, 2026

But the banks which backed the IPO exercised a so-called "greenshoe" clause, which let them purchase an extra $10bn of SpaceX shares.

From BBC • Jun. 15, 2026

In this sentence we have the phrase In Sophocles’play as a modifier of the clause Oedipus married his mother.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Related Words

• article
• paragraph
• passage
• provision
• requirement
• section
• specification
• stipulation