grammar

noun gram·mar \ ˈgra-mər \

|Updated on: 9 Jun 2018

Definition of grammar

1 a : the study of the classes of words, their inflections (see inflection 3), and their functions and relations in the sentence

b : a study of what is to be preferred and what avoided in inflection (see inflection 3) and syntax (see syntax 1)

2 a : the characteristic system of inflections (see inflection 3) and syntax of a language

b : a system of rules that defines the grammatical structure of a language

3 a : a grammar textbook

b : speech or writing evaluated according to its conformity to grammatical rules

appalled at the bad grammar of college students

4 : the principles or rules of an art, science, or technique

a grammar of the theater

; also : a set of such principles or rules

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grammarian

play \grə-ˈmer-ē-ən\ noun

See grammar defined for English-language learners

See grammar defined for kids

Examples of grammar in a Sentence

English grammar can be hard to master.
comparing English and Japanese grammar
comparing the grammars of English and Japanese
“Him and I went” is bad grammar.
I know some German, but my grammar isn't very good.

Recent Examples of grammar from the Web

Some students started so far behind their grade-level standards that teachers spent most of their time teaching grammar and basic math.

— alden woods, azcentral, "A year after parents sue over Havasupai school, little has changed for Grand Canyon tribe," 24 May 2018
West Wing employees who draft proposed tweets intentionally employ suspect grammar and staccato syntax in order to mimic the president’s style, according to two people familiar with the process.

— benjamin hart, Daily Intelligencer, "Report: Trump’s Tweets Include Intentional Grammatical Errors," 22 May 2018
Like, if my spelling and grammar was that bad, I’d be canceled.

— refinery29.com, "Was This Beef Really Worth Cardi B Deleting Her Instagram?," 12 May 2018
Like, if my spelling and grammar was that bad, I’d be canceled.

— dave quinn, PEOPLE.com, "Cardi B Claps Back at Azealia Banks for 'Illiterate, Untalented' Comments — Then Leaves Social Media," 12 May 2018
Pupils attending grammar and private schools had significantly higher genetic scores than those in comprehensives.

— The Economist, "Genes and backgrounds matter most to exam results," 26 Mar. 2018
Griffith’s logical grammar has guided generations of filmmakers, from John Ford to Steven Spielberg to Christopher Nolan.

— carlos valladares, San Francisco Chronicle, "Argentine director Lucrecia Martel to attend Berkeley retrospective of her work," 16 Apr. 2018
His English was remarkably elastic, freewheeling between rote grammar and limbered-up slang.

— daniel riley, GQ, "The Great High School Impostor," 1 May 2018
Third grade teacher Karen Gunter said the cursive lesson also allows her to teach grammar along with the mechanics of writing.

— CBS News, "Students connect with senior pen pals through cursive letters," 26 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'grammar.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of grammar

Middle English gramere, from Anglo-French gramaire, modification of Latin grammatica, from Greek grammatikē, from feminine of grammatikos of letters, from grammat-, gramma — more at gram

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year