hyphen

1 of 2

noun

hy·​phen ˈhī-fən 

: a punctuation mark - used especially to divide or to compound words, word elements, or numbers

hyphenless

ˈhī-fən-ləs 

adjective

hyphen

2 of 2

verb

hyphened; hyphening; hyphens

transitive verb

: hyphenate

Examples of hyphen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Either way, the team is elated to have the 39-year-old five-time All-Star and 2013 NL MVP, hyphens and all. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 6 July 2026

Even small differences—like a missing hyphen or a reversed name—can cause processing issues. — Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2026

The errant hyphen in Cézanne’s name, and an identical font across all three covers that looked very similar to an Anthropic typeface, caught my eye. — Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026

No middle name, no hyphen, no extraneous vowels, three syllables played on a drum. — Raven Smith, Vogue, 20 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Late Latin & Greek; Late Latin, from Greek, from hyph' hen under one, from hypo under + hen, neuter of heis one — more at up, same

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1620, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1814, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing hyphen

• double hyphen

Rhymes for hyphen

• siphon
• syphon
• typhon

Kids Definition

hyphen

1 of 2 noun

hy·​phen ˈhī-fən 

: a punctuation mark - used to divide or to compound words or word elements

hyphen

2 of 2 verb

: hyphenate