syntax

noun

syn·​tax ˈsin-ˌtaks 

1

a

: sentence structure : the way in which linguistic elements (such as words) are put together to form phrases, clauses, or sentences

Throughout, the syntax is punchy and slangy, while the diction often grows brazenly recondite.

—Michael Dirda

b

: the part of grammar dealing with this

… the sounds and syntax of natural languages evolve over hundreds of years …

—Matteo Wong

c

: the rules governing the ways in which the elements of a computer programming language are allowed to be combined to form commands or instructions

Learning the syntax of a programming language—for example, where to place colons and where indentation is required—takes a lot of time for many students.

—Daniel Zingaro

locate a syntax error [=a violation of the rules of syntax in a piece of code that prevents a program from running properly] in the app's code

also : computing language or code arranged according to these rules

creating readable syntax

2

: a connected or orderly system : harmonious arrangement of parts or elements

the syntax of classical architecture

… researchers … talk about syntax in plant communication …

—Elizabeth A. Harris

Did you know?

Syntax is basically about what word comes before and after another word; in other words, it's part of the larger subject of grammar. Syntax is often an issue in poetry, and it's usually discussed in connection with diction—that is, the poet's choice of words. So, for example, your English professor might point out the syntactic difference between "Whose woods these are I think I know" and "I think I know whose woods these are;" whereas if the discussion was about diction instead, the question might be about the choice of "woods" rather than "land", or "think" rather than "bet".

Examples of syntax in a Sentence

Everyone has good days and bad days. Her syntax is sometimes a world unto itself. But George H.W. Bush occasionally sounded as though English were more foe than friend, and he was an astute president who managed complexity with skill and balance. —Jon Meacham, Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2008

Coming from a great distance and wholly unrelated to the Teutonic, Latin and Slav languages that fence it in, Hungarian has remained miraculously intact. Everything about the language is different, not only the words themselves, but the way they are formed, the syntax and grammar and above all the cast of mind that brought them into being. —Patrick Leigh Fermor, Between the Woods and the Water, 1986

“I saw that she a cookie ate” is an example of incorrect syntax.

Recent Examples on the Web

Patrick also has his own researcher, so the cast members all had access to this dropbox full of stuff, including incredible academic studies of John Gacy’s speech pattern and word choice and syntax use, and a breakdown of the Chicago dialect and his Polish background. —Hunter Ingram, Variety, 18 Oct. 2025

Krasznahorkai eventually found a global cult audience, who recognized his distinct ability to cloak anomie, violence, and resignation, smudged with a kind of gutter comedy, within a labyrinthine syntax. —Walt Hunter, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2025

First details of syntax, then flow control and functions, and so on up the levels of how a program is put together—more and more is being left to the AI. —Stephen Cass, IEEE Spectrum, 23 Sep. 2025

Rather than writing complex syntax, users describe their intent, and AI produces functioning prototypes. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French or Late Latin; Middle French sintaxe, from Late Latin syntaxis, from Greek, from syntassein to arrange together, from syn- + tassein to arrange

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing syntax

• syntax error

Rhymes for syntax

• attacks
• backpacks
• beeswax
• borax
• callbacks
• carfax
• climax
• cutbacks
• drawbacks
• feedbacks
• flashbacks
• greenbacks

Kids Definition

syntax

noun

syn·​tax ˈsin-ˌtaks 

: the way in which words are put together to form phrases, clauses, or sentences