Sentence
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.
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.
the punishment itself; term:
a three-year sentence.
3.
Music. a complete idea, usually consisting of eight to sixteen measures; period (def 18).
See also phrase (def 4).
4.
Archaic. a saying, apothegm, or maxim.
5.
Obsolete. an opinion given on a particular question.
verb (used with object), sentenced, sentencing.
6.
to pronounce sentence upon; condemn to punishment:
The judge sentenced her to six months in jail.
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.
(music) another word for period (sense 11)
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
8.
(transitive) to pronounce sentence on (a convicted person) in a court of law: the judge sentenced the murderer to life imprisonment
logic
A collection of clauses.
See also definite sentence.
(2003-12-04)
Read Also:
- Sentence-adverb
noun, Grammar. 1. an adverb modifying or commenting upon the content of a sentence as a whole or upon the conditions under which it is uttered, as frankly in Frankly, he can’t be trusted.
- Sentence connector
noun 1. a word or phrase that introduces a clause or sentence and serves as a transition between it and a previous clause or sentence, as for example also in I’m buying eggs and also I’m looking for a dessert for tonight. It may be preceded by a coordinating conjunction such as and in the […]
- Sentence-fragment
noun 1. a phrase or clause written as a sentence but lacking an element, as a subject or verb, that would enable it to function as an independent sentence in normative written English.
- Sentences
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 […]
- Sentence-stress
noun 1. the stress pattern or patterns associated with words as arranged in sentences in a particular language. sentence stress noun 1. the stress given to a word or words in a sentence, often conveying nuances of meaning or emphasis