Definitions for clause
klɔzclause

Princeton's WordNet(2.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. clause(noun)

   (grammar) an expression including a subject and predicate but not constituting a complete sentence

2. article, clause(noun)

   a separate section of a legal document (as a statute or contract or will)

Wiktionary(2.67 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. clause(Noun)

   A group of two or more words which include a subject and any necessary predicate (the predicate also includes a verb, conjunction, or a preposition) to begin the clause; however, this clause is not considered a sentence for colloquial purposes.

2. clause(Noun)

   A verb along with its subject and their modifiers. If a clause provides a complete thought on its own, then it is an independent (superordinate) clause; otherwise, it is (subordinate)dependent.

3. clause(Noun)

   A separate part of a contract, a will or another legal document.

4. clause(Verb)

   To amend (a bill of lading or similar document).

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Clause(noun)

   a separate portion of a written paper, paragraph, or sentence; an article, stipulation, or proviso, in a legal document

   Etymology: [F. clause, LL. clausa, equiv. to L. clausula clause, prop., close of rhetorical period, close, fr. claudere to shut, to end. See Close.]

2. Clause(noun)

   a subordinate portion or a subdivision of a sentence containing a subject and its predicate

   Etymology: [F. clause, LL. clausa, equiv. to L. clausula clause, prop., close of rhetorical period, close, fr. claudere to shut, to end. See Close.]

3. Clause(noun)

   see Letters clause / close, under Letter

   Etymology: [F. clause, LL. clausa, equiv. to L. clausula clause, prop., close of rhetorical period, close, fr. claudere to shut, to end. See Close.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Clause

   In grammar, a clause is the smallest grammatical unit that can express a complete proposition. A typical clause consists of a subject and a predicate, where the predicate is typically a verb phrase – a verb together with any objects and other modifiers. However the subject is sometimes not expressed; this is often the case in null-subject languages, if the subject is retrievable from context, but it also occurs in certain cases in other languages such as English. A simple sentence usually consists of a single finite clause with a finite verb that is independent. More complex sentences may contain multiple clauses. Main clauses are those that could stand as a sentence by themselves. Subordinate clauses are those that would be awkward or nonsensical if used alone.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Clause

   klawz, n. a sentence or part of a sentence: an article or part of a contract, will, &c.—adj. Claus′ular, pertaining to, or consisting of, a clause or clauses. [Fr. clause—L. clausus—claudĕre, to shut.]

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'clause' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #2750

2. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'clause' in Nouns Frequency: #930

How to pronounce clause?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say clause in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of clause in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of clause in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of clause in a Sentence

1. Sam Gedge:

   The Supreme Court recognized rightly that the excessive fines clause is a vital check on the government's power to punish people and strip them of their property.

2. Dale Bumpers:

   Nobody has suggested that President Clinton committed a political crime against the state. So, colleagues, if you honor the Constitution, you must look at the history of the Constitution and how we got to the impeachment clause. And if you do that and you do that honestly according to the oath you took, you can not. You can censure President Clinton. You can hand President Clinton over to the prosecutor for President Clinton to be prosecuted, But you can not convict President Clinton. And you can not indulge yourselves the luxury or the right to ignore this history.

3. Craig Robinson:

   Evangelical voters are looking for a thoughtful leader at a time like this, not someone who is simply an agitator, it's the next battle, the preservation of the free exercise clause contained in the First Amendment, that they need to be concerned with.

4. Al Baker:

   We are still at an impasse. We have walked away from our first A320neo because it is more than a certain number of days late, so exercised a walk-away clause.

5. Robert Menendez:

   Whether or not the supporters of the agreement admit it, this deal is based on 'hope' -- hope that when the nuclear sunset clause expires, Iran will have succumbed to the benefits of commerce and global integration, hope is part of human nature, but unfortunately it is not a national security strategy.

Images & Illustrations of clause

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