paragraph

[ par-uh-graf, -grahf ]
See synonyms for: paragraphparagraphed on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a distinct portion of written or printed matter dealing with a particular idea, usually beginning with an indentation on a new line.

  1. a note, item, or brief article, as in a newspaper.

verb (used with object)
  1. to divide into paragraphs.

  2. to write or publish paragraphs about, as in a newspaper.

  1. to express in a paragraph.

Origin of paragraph

1
1515–25; earlier paragraphe<Greek paragraphḗ marked passage; see para-1, graph

Other words from paragraph

  • par·a·graph·ism, noun
  • par·a·gra·phis·ti·cal [par-uh-gruh-fis-ti-kuhl], /ˌpær ə grəˈfɪs tɪ kəl/, adjective
  • sub·par·a·graph, noun
  • un·par·a·graphed, adjective
  • well-par·a·graphed, adjective

Words Nearby paragraph

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use paragraph in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for paragraph

paragraph

/ (ˈpærəˌɡrɑːf, -ˌɡræf) /


noun
  1. (in a piece of writing) one of a series of subsections each usually devoted to one idea and each usually marked by the beginning of a new line, indentation, increased interlinear space, etc

  2. printing the character ¶, used as a reference mark or to indicate the beginning of a new paragraph

  1. a short article in a newspaper

verb(tr)
  1. to form into paragraphs

  2. to express or report in a paragraph

Origin of paragraph

1
C16: from Medieval Latin paragraphus, from Greek paragraphos line drawing attention to part of a text, from paragraphein to write beside, from para- 1 + graphein to write

Derived forms of paragraph

  • paragraphic (ˌpærəˈɡræfɪk) or paragraphical, adjective
  • paragraphically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for paragraph

paragraph

A basic unit of prose. It is usually composed of several sentences that together develop one central idea. The main sentence in a paragraph is called the topic sentence.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.