run-on sentence

noun

: a sentence containing two or more clauses not connected by the correct conjunction or punctuation

Examples of run-on sentence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Apparently my run-on sentence post last week appeared even more ranty than usual. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, 18 June 2020 In between, students laid out pages, rejiggered run-on sentences and tweaked photo captions. — Hannah Natanson, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of run-on sentence was in 1914

Rhymes for run-on sentence

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Browse Nearby Words

run one's own life
run-on sentence
run on the bank
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Cite this Entry

“Run-on sentence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/run-on%20sentence. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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Kids Definition

run-on sentence

noun
: a sentence formed from two or more sentences improperly joined (as "I didn't see the red light, officer, I was looking the other way")
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