syntax

noun

syn·​tax ˈsin-ˌtaks 

1

a

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

b

: the part of grammar dealing with this

2

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

the syntax of classical architecture

3

: syntactics especially as dealing with the formal properties of languages or calculi

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

Song writes repetitive dialogue that the two characters volley back and forth, reinforcing and contradicting each other with simple syntax that could be mistaken for a children’s storybook if not for its adult themes. —Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 1 July 2025

But the pleasure of writing is a demanding one because of its unrelenting demands—for just the right syntax, the right balance, the right sounds, the right words, the right spellings of our often strange English words. —Lydia Davis, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025

From the March 1958 issue: The perceptions of James Joyce For Ulysses, too, Ellmann showed how the network of cryptic allusions and the experiments with syntax were part of a bigger plan to capture something true about the intricate crosscurrents of life. —Eric Bulson, The Atlantic, 16 June 2025

Sedgwick’s mannered syntax and dissective dialogue mark her as a committed Jamesian. —Thomas Mallon, New Yorker, 30 June 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

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