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Definition of exclamation point
1 : a mark ! used especially after an interjection or exclamation to indicate forceful utterance or strong feeling
2 : a distinctive indication of major significance, interest, or contrast
the game put an exclamation point on the season
— called also exclamation mark
Examples of exclamation point in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web In my own life, the need to punctuate the end of the day at a moment when time feels so static has left me looking for the exclamation points.
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Ginia Bellafante, New York Times, "Why Cocktail Hour Is Back," 25 Apr. 2020 With a round 10-seat table, two large Asian armoires and deep colors, this has become the exclamation point of the house.
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Judy Rose, Detroit Free Press, "Cigar room in this Quarton Lake beauty will make you wish you smoked," 25 Apr. 2020 Flaherty put the final exclamation point on a junior season to remember, striking out eight, walking one and giving up six hits in a 1-0 victory.
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Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, "Great championship games: Jack Flaherty pitches Harvard-Westlake to 1-0 win at Dodger Stadium," 5 Apr. 2020 Here's one more look at the exclamation point by Malik Williams during Louisville basketball's win over Duke.
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Hayes Gardner, The Courier-Journal, "Morning Coffee: Where's the punishment for the Houston Astros for sign-stealing?," 21 Jan. 2020 Consider these the chic exclamation point to any outfit.
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Madeline Fass, Vogue, "The Best Logo Bags to Buy Now," 10 Oct. 2018 The shocking collapse in US oil to $-40 added an exclamation point to the problem facing the industry.
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Matt Egan, CNN, "How negative oil prices could set the stage for the next price boom," 22 Apr. 2020 Three 3-pointers in the final minute — Wallace's the exclamation point — pushed the Panthers past the Racers.
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Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, "Eastern Illinois overcomes 27-point deficit in second half, wins on 3-pointer in final second," 21 Feb. 2020 And, of course, the Republicans in the chamber, along with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), were bounding from their seats with thunderous applause like an exclamation point on the end of every sentence.
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Robin Givhan, Washington Post, "Congressional Democrats wore their white hot fury to the State of the Union," 5 Feb. 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'exclamation point.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Time Traveler for exclamation point
The first known use of exclamation point was in 1824
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