comma

noun

com·​ma ˈkä-mə 

1

: a punctuation mark, used especially as a mark of separation within the sentence

2

: pause, interval

3

: any of several nymphalid butterflies (genus Polygonia) with a silvery comma-shaped mark on the underside of the hind wings

Examples of comma in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The printers in a Moscow shop struck, because they were not paid for commas, semi-colons and periods – in a word, for punctuation. — James Folta, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026

Even if an applicant uses AI to help optimize their application, if a tracking system is flagging resumes for specific keywords or phrases, a misplaced comma may be the reason an applicant is never seriously considered, Dobson said. — Rachel Barber, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026

Peyush Bansal, the cofounder of eyewear retailer Lenskart Solutions, is the latest Indian to join the three-comma club. — Anu Raghunathan, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

When something’s off (like a misplaced comma or wrong code), the claim gets kicked back, and either the patient or the doctor eats the cost. — Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 22 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin, from Latin, part of a sentence, from Greek komma segment, clause, from koptein to cut — more at capon

First Known Use

1554, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing comma

• comma fault
• comma splice
• inverted comma

Rhymes for comma

• brahma
• chama
• dama
• drama
• gama
• lama
• llama
• mama
• mamma
• momma
• rama
• sama

Video

The Serial Comma Explained

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

Kids Definition

comma

noun

com·​ma ˈkäm-ə 

: a punctuation mark , used chiefly to show separation of words or word groups within a sentence