Definitions for sentence
ˈsɛn tnssen·tence

Princeton's WordNet(3.33 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. sentencenoun

   a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language

   "he always spoke in grammatical sentences"

2. conviction, judgment of conviction, condemnation, sentencenoun

   (criminal law) a final judgment of guilty in a criminal case and the punishment that is imposed

   "the conviction came as no surprise"

3. prison term, sentence, timeverb

   the period of time a prisoner is imprisoned

   "he served a prison term of 15 months"; "his sentence was 5 to 10 years"; "he is doing time in the county jail"

4. sentence, condemn, doomverb

   pronounce a sentence on (somebody) in a court of law

   "He was condemned to ten years in prison"

Wiktionary(3.33 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. sentencenoun

   One's opinion; manner of thinking.

   Etymology: From sentence, from sententia, from sentiens, present participle of sentire; see sentient, sense, scent.

2. sentencenoun

   Someone's pronounced opinion or judgment on a given question.

   Etymology: From sentence, from sententia, from sentiens, present participle of sentire; see sentient, sense, scent.

3. sentencenoun

   The decision or judgement of a jury or court; a verdict.

   The court returned a sentence of guilt in the first charge, but innocence in the second.

   Etymology: From sentence, from sententia, from sentiens, present participle of sentire; see sentient, sense, scent.

4. sentencenoun

   The judicial order for a punishment to be imposed on a person convicted of a crime.

   The judge declared a sentence of death by hanging for the infamous cattle rustler.

   Etymology: From sentence, from sententia, from sentiens, present participle of sentire; see sentient, sense, scent.

5. sentencenoun

   A saying, especially form a great person; a maxim, an apophthegm.

   Etymology: From sentence, from sententia, from sentiens, present participle of sentire; see sentient, sense, scent.

6. sentencenoun

   A grammatically complete series of words consisting of a subject and predicate, even if one or the other is implied, and typically beginning with a capital letter and ending with a full stop.

   The children were made to construct sentences consisting of nouns and verbs from the list on the chalkboard.

   Etymology: From sentence, from sententia, from sentiens, present participle of sentire; see sentient, sense, scent.

7. sentencenoun

   A formula with no free variables.

   Etymology: From sentence, from sententia, from sentiens, present participle of sentire; see sentient, sense, scent.

8. sentencenoun

   Any of the set of strings that can be generated by a given formal grammar.

   Etymology: From sentence, from sententia, from sentiens, present participle of sentire; see sentient, sense, scent.

9. sentenceverb

   To declare a sentence on a convicted person.

   The judge sentenced the embezzler to ten years in prison, along with a hefty fine.

   Etymology: From sentence, from sententia, from sentiens, present participle of sentire; see sentient, sense, scent.

Webster Dictionary(1.67 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Sentencenoun

   sense; meaning; significance

   Etymology: [F., from L. sententia, for sentientia, from sentire to discern by the senses and the mind, to feel, to think. See Sense, n., and cf. Sentiensi.]

2. Sentencenoun

   an opinion; a decision; a determination; a judgment, especially one of an unfavorable nature

   Etymology: [F., from L. sententia, for sentientia, from sentire to discern by the senses and the mind, to feel, to think. See Sense, n., and cf. Sentiensi.]

3. Sentencenoun

   a philosophical or theological opinion; a dogma; as, Summary of the Sentences; Book of the Sentences

   Etymology: [F., from L. sententia, for sentientia, from sentire to discern by the senses and the mind, to feel, to think. See Sense, n., and cf. Sentiensi.]

4. Sentencenoun

   in civil and admiralty law, the judgment of a court pronounced in a cause; in criminal and ecclesiastical courts, a judgment passed on a criminal by a court or judge; condemnation pronounced by a judgical tribunal; doom. In common law, the term is exclusively used to denote the judgment in criminal cases

   Etymology: [F., from L. sententia, for sentientia, from sentire to discern by the senses and the mind, to feel, to think. See Sense, n., and cf. Sentiensi.]

5. Sentencenoun

   a short saying, usually containing moral instruction; a maxim; an axiom; a saw

   Etymology: [F., from L. sententia, for sentientia, from sentire to discern by the senses and the mind, to feel, to think. See Sense, n., and cf. Sentiensi.]

6. Sentencenoun

   a combination of words which is complete as expressing a thought, and in writing is marked at the close by a period, or full point. See Proposition, 4

   Etymology: [F., from L. sententia, for sentientia, from sentire to discern by the senses and the mind, to feel, to think. See Sense, n., and cf. Sentiensi.]

7. Sentenceverb

   to pass or pronounce judgment upon; to doom; to condemn to punishment; to prescribe the punishment of

   Etymology: [F., from L. sententia, for sentientia, from sentire to discern by the senses and the mind, to feel, to think. See Sense, n., and cf. Sentiensi.]

8. Sentenceverb

   to decree or announce as a sentence

   Etymology: [F., from L. sententia, for sentientia, from sentire to discern by the senses and the mind, to feel, to think. See Sense, n., and cf. Sentiensi.]

9. Sentenceverb

   to utter sententiously

   Etymology: [F., from L. sententia, for sentientia, from sentire to discern by the senses and the mind, to feel, to think. See Sense, n., and cf. Sentiensi.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Sentence

   A sentence is a grammatical unit consisting of one or more words that are grammatically linked. A sentence can include words grouped meaningfully to express a statement, question, exclamation, request, command or suggestion. A sentence can also be defined in orthographic terms alone, i.e., as anything which is contained between a capital letter and a full stop. For instance, the opening of Charles Dickens' novel Bleak House begins with the following three sentences: The first sentence involves one word, a proper noun. The second sentence has only a non-finite verb. The third is a single nominal group. Only an orthographic definition encompasses this variation. As with all language expressions, sentences might contain function and content words and contain properties distinct to natural language, such as characteristic intonation and timing patterns. Sentences are generally characterized in most languages by the presence of a finite verb, e.g. "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog".

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

1. Sentence

   sen′tens, n. opinion: a judgment pronounced on a criminal by a court or judge: a maxim: (gram.) a number of words containing a complete thought: sense: meaning: matter.—v.t. to pronounce judgment on: to condemn.—n. Sen′tencer, one who sentences.—adj. Senten′tial, pertaining to a sentence: comprising sentences.—adv. Senten′tially.—adj. Senten′tious, abounding with sentences or maxims: short and pithy in expression: bombastic, or affected in speech.—adv. Senten′tiously.—n. Senten′tiousness, brevity with strength.—Master of the Sentences, the great 12th-century schoolman, Peter Lombard (died 1160), from his work Sententiarum Libri IV., an arranged collection of sentences from Augustine, &c. [Fr.,—L. sententia—sentīre, to feel.]

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. sentence

   Decision, determination, final judgment. There is an appeal allowed from the sentence of a regimental court-martial to the opinion of a general one.

Matched Categories

1. • String Of Words

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'sentence' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1838

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'sentence' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1766

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'sentence' in Nouns Frequency: #551

4. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'sentence' in Verbs Frequency: #927

How to pronounce sentence?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say sentence in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of sentence in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of sentence in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of sentence in a Sentence

1. Miguel de Cervantes:

   A proverb is a short sentence based on long experience.

2. Restore Justice:

   There's ample research that long sentences don't deter crime. It's actually the swiftness and the surety of consequences that deters crime, not the length of the sentence, the length of the sentence just costs the state and communities and families hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars and destroys lives. It doesn't make us safer. It's a myth.

3. Xavier Macky:

   This sentence will help heal not only survivors but those who lost their loved ones during the atrocities of Bosco Ntaganda.

4. William Strunk Jr., Elements of Style:

   Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.

5. Rebecca Siegel:

   A childhood cancer diagnosis used to be a death sentence.

Images & Illustrations of sentence

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