comma

1 of 2

noun (1)

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

comma butterfly

2 of 2

noun (2)

variants or less commonly comma

: a common North American anglewing butterfly (Polygonia comma) having a silvery comma-shaped mark on the underside of the hind wings and larvae that feed on elm, nettles, and hop

sometimes : any of several other butterflies of the genus Polygonia

Examples of comma in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

And like Farrar’s Twitter character, dangling on that final, hopeful comma, the president’s critics still return to speculating that this next scandal might just be the one that delivers comeuppance. — David MacK, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

Judging by her few surviving manuscripts, Austen didn’t much use commas (or paragraphs). — Louis Menand, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

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

First Known Use

Noun (1)

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