semicolon
noun
Did you know?
The semicolon was introduced into modern type by an Italian printer around 1566. But since it's actually the same symbol as the ancient Greek question mark, it's older than the colon (:), which first appears around 1450. Don't mix the two up. A colon introduces something: usually a list, sometimes a statement. A semicolon separates two independent but related clauses; it may also replace the comma to separate items in a complicated list.
Check out our guide on how and when to use semicolons.
Examples of semicolon in a Sentence
David Streit, Washington Post, 16 Nov. 2023
Throughout, Murray employs linguistic choices to distinguish the perspectives, most notably in Imelda’s section, where Murray eschews punctuation: no periods, no commas, no dashes, no semicolons — only the occasional question mark.
—Jonathan Russell Clark, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2023
Dear reader: First of all, nice use of a semicolon.
—Lucas Daprile, cleveland, 2 Aug. 2023
Each part of that sentence flanking the semicolon is a sentence on its own, so intimately related that using a semicolon marries them, thereby cementing clarity.
—Gary Gilson, Star Tribune, 26 June 2021
Get on top of the pen good-oh, fill in here and there, scattergun semicolons, while my heart pushes hard in protest against the seesawing wagon of ribs that encloses it.
—Claire-Louise Bennett, Harper's Magazine, 10 Aug. 2022
Early this year, Film Forum, the redoubtable revival house on West Houston Street, drew overflow crowds for a documentary about two elderly men squaring off over semicolons and commas.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 14 June 2023
Known for his crisp prose, foreboding view of humanity, uncompromising approach to death and violence — and rebellion against quote marks and semicolons — McCarthy was celebrated as one of the leading American authors of his time.
—Chris Koseluk, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 June 2023
Avoid too many semicolons and italics, etc.
—Melissa Rodman, The New Republic, 1 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'semicolon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near semicolon
Cite this Entry
“Semicolon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/semicolon. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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semicolon
noun
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