sentence

[ sen-tns ]

noun

1. Grammar. a grammatical unit of one or more words that expresses an independent statement, question, request, command, exclamation, etc., and that typically has a subject as well as a predicate, as in John is here. or Is John here? In print or writing, a sentence typically begins with a capital letter and ends with appropriate punctuation; in speech it displays recognizable, communicative intonation patterns and is often marked by preceding and following pauses.
2. Law.
   1. an authoritative decision; a judicial judgment or decree, especially the judicial determination of the punishment to be inflicted on a convicted criminal:

      Knowledgeable sources say that the judge will announce the sentence early next week.

   2. the punishment itself; term:

      a three-year sentence.

3. Music. a complete idea, usually consisting of eight to sixteen measures; period ( def 18 ). phrase ( def 4 ).
4. Archaic. a saying, apothegm, or maxim.
5. Obsolete. an opinion given on a particular question.

verb (used with object)

, sen·tenced, sen·tenc·ing.

1. to pronounce sentence upon; condemn to punishment:

   The judge sentenced her to six months in jail.

sentence

/ sɛnˈtɛnʃəl; ˈsɛntəns /

noun

1. a sequence of words capable of standing alone to make an assertion, ask a question, or give a command, usually consisting of a subject and a predicate containing a finite verb
2. the judgment formally pronounced upon a person convicted in criminal proceedings, esp the decision as to what punishment is to be imposed
3. an opinion, judgment, or decision
4. See period
   music another word for period
5. any short passage of scripture employed in liturgical use

   the funeral sentences

6. logic a well-formed expression, without variables
7. archaic.
   a proverb, maxim, or aphorism

verb

1. tr to pronounce sentence on (a convicted person) in a court of law

   the judge sentenced the murderer to life imprisonment

Grammar Note

A sentence is the largest grammatical unit in language. It communicates a complete thought—an assertion, question, command, or exclamation. In general, assertions and questions—the overwhelming majority of sentences—require a subject and a verb, put together in a way that can stand alone, resulting in what is called an independent clause ( main clause ): He kicked the ball is a sentence. After he kicked the ball is not a sentence; instead it is a dependent clause ( subordinate clause ). Even though it has a subject and a verb, it needs to be connected to something in order to complete the assertion: After he kicked the ball, he fell down; or He fell down after he kicked the ball. In the case of commands, the subject need not be written because “you” is understood: Go home! means You go home! And exclamations clearly express excitement, alarm, anger, or the like with no need for either a subject or a verb: Wow! Gadzooks! Ouch! In everyday speech we routinely use phrases or clauses that would not make a complete sentence—so-called sentence fragments —because the conversation or the circumstances make the meaning clear. For example, we might answer a question like “Where did you go?” with “To the store,” or “Why can’t I stay out till midnight?” with “Because I say so,” or “What are you doing?” with “Trying to fix this toaster,” instead of “I went to the store,” “You can't stay out that late because I say so,” or “I am trying to fix this toaster.” In written dialogue sentence fragments are perfectly acceptable. They would generally be regarded as sentences simply because they begin with a capital letter and end with a suitable punctuation mark. But they are not sentences in a strict grammatical sense. And as a rule, sentence fragments are frowned upon in formal or expository writing. They can be useful—indeed, powerful—but in such writing they are effective only if used sparingly, in order to achieve a deliberate special effect: We will not give up fighting for this cause. Not now. Not ever.

Derived Forms

• sentential, adjective
• senˈtentially, adverb

Other Words From

• sentenc·er noun
• pre·sentence verb (used with object) presentenced presentencing
• re·sentence noun verb (used with object) resentenced resentencing
• un·sentenced adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sentence¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; (noun) Middle English, from Old French, frpm Latin sententia “opinion, decision,” equivalent to sent- (base of sentīre “to feel”) + -entia -ence; (verb) Middle English: “to pass judgment, decide judicially,” from Old French sentencier, derivative of sentence

Word History and Origins

Origin of sentence¹

C13: via Old French from Latin sententia a way of thinking, from sentīre to feel

Example Sentences

There’s an unlimited number of possible things we can say, of sentence structures, but not anything can be a sentence structure.

From Nautilus

We have to come to terms with the fact that recognizing sentences written by humans is no longer a trivial task.

From Nautilus

You can even set how many sentences you want in your summary.

From Popular-Science

Simple enough, but you can glean much information from that sentence.

From Popular-Science

It does not help anyone to have communities where people feel like living there is a death sentence.

From Fortune

As this list shows, punishments typically run to a short-ish jail sentence and/or a moderately hefty fine.

From The Daily Beast

Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice turned herself in to serve a 15-month sentence for bankruptcy fraud.

From The Daily Beast

That Huckabee is mentioned in the same sentence with other aspiring conservative governors, especially Bobby Jindal, is laughable.

From The Daily Beast

Brown had been serving a life sentence; McCollum had been on Death Row.

From The Daily Beast

Had he been competently represented, the jury might well have failed to concur on a death sentence.

From The Daily Beast

Before he could finish the sentence the Hole-keeper said snappishly, "Well, drop out again—quick!"

From Project Gutenberg

Each sentence came as if torn piecemeal from his unwilling tongue; short, jerky phrases, conceived in pain and delivered in agony.

From Project Gutenberg

Sentence of fine and imprisonment passed upon lord Bacon in the house of peers for bribery.

From Project Gutenberg

John Wilkes released from the tower by the memorable sentence of chief justice Pratt.

From Project Gutenberg

It seeks the shortest phrase or sentence and adds successively all the modifiers, making no omissions.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• blame
• condemn
• confine
• convict
• imprison
• incarcerate
• jail
• penalize
• punish