as in intervals
a break in continuity
there was a parenthesis of silence when the microphone momentarily lost power
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Recent Examples of parentheses
Top 10 With records through Monday and previous rankings in parentheses.
—
Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Each writer’s personal ranking will appear in parentheses next to their name.
—Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
At one point in the Symposium on Young American Men, one of the few female panelists named a statistic about suicidal thoughts among young men—then, as if in parentheses, added that the rate was even higher for women.
—Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2026
Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Each writer’s personal ranking will appear in parentheses next to their name.
—Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
At one point in the Symposium on Young American Men, one of the few female panelists named a statistic about suicidal thoughts among young men—then, as if in parentheses, added that the rate was even higher for women.
—Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parentheses
Noun
-
Position two or three oven racks at even intervals and heat the oven to three-fifty.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Rain chances may linger into Thursday and Friday, though intervals of sun are also possible as temperatures hold in the mid to upper 60s.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Burke spoke only to consent to intermittent interruptions of his preliminary hearing, allowing the court to address other pending matters.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Quality family time without interruptions or distractions is easily found here.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Over nearly two decades, BIGBANG has weathered member departures, legal controversies, and years-long hiatuses.—
Hanna Wickes,
Sacbee.com,
20 Mar. 2026
-
More than half of the interview subjects self-funded their hiatuses.—
Colleen Newvine,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In sixteenth-century Italian pedante comedies, the Latin tutors—always the butt of the joke—are known more for the gaps in their knowledge than for their erudition.—
Clare Bucknell,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Policymakers, especially here in Tokyo, would be wise to accept more foreign workers to plug labor gaps, but that’s not a durable answer on its own.—
Catherine Thorbecke,
Twin Cities,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Business major Andrea Lui found the chatbot’s voice to be surprisingly human, but the conversation felt choppy with odd pauses.—
Jocelyn Gecker,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Business major Andrea Lui found the chatbot’s voice to be surprisingly human, but the conversation felt choppy with odd pauses.—
Jocelyn Gecker,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Parentheses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parentheses. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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