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
Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024
Look for Saturn and the crescent moon to form their version of a semicolon in the southwest evening sky.
—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
See all Example Sentences for semicolon 
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 8 Oct. 2024.
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semicolon
noun
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