punctuation
noun
punc·tu·a·tion
ˌpəŋk-chə-ˈwā-shən 
1
: the act of punctuating : the state of being punctuated
2
: the act or practice of inserting standardized marks or signs in written matter to clarify the meaning and separate structural units
also
: a system of punctuation
3
: something that contrasts or accentuates
Examples of punctuation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
If our skeptic needs a reason to care about emoji, this is it: emoji are valuable partners for our writing, adding literal and metaphorical color to staid old letters and numbers and punctuation and occasionally, in creative and delightful ways, replacing them entirely.
—
Longreads, 1 July 2025
Percussion is provided by Loueke’s tongue clucking and vocal punctuations.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 June 2025
The punctuation came at the College World Series, when USC beat Arizona State 21-14 in a championship game that featured nine home runs.
—Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Cassandra Whitaker’s debut is a sequence that moves like a long poem, pulsing with the motif of the wolf; individual poems are often split in columns or forged in prose with slashes rather than punctuation or line breaks.
—Literary Hub, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for punctuation
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Longreads, 1 July 2025
Percussion is provided by Loueke’s tongue clucking and vocal punctuations.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 June 2025
The punctuation came at the College World Series, when USC beat Arizona State 21-14 in a championship game that featured nine home runs.
—Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Cassandra Whitaker’s debut is a sequence that moves like a long poem, pulsing with the motif of the wolf; individual poems are often split in columns or forged in prose with slashes rather than punctuation or line breaks.
—Literary Hub, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for punctuation
Cite this Entry
“Punctuation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punctuation. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
punctuation
noun
punc·tu·a·tion
ˌpəŋ(k)-chə-ˈwā-shən
: the act, practice, or system of inserting punctuation marks in written matter to make the meaning clear and separate parts (as clauses or sentences)
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