parentheses

noun

plural of parenthesis
as in intervals
a break in continuity there was a parenthesis of silence when the microphone momentarily lost power

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of parentheses The number in parentheses after each player’s name indicates the round in which he was taken; CBA equals Competitive Balance Round A, which comes after the first round, and CBB equals Competitive Balance Round B, which comes after the second round. — Keith Law, New York Times, 15 July 2026 Top 10 best malls Here are USA Today readers’ 2026 selections of their favorite malls in the United States with last year’s rank in parentheses. — Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 15 June 2026 Top 10 With records through Monday and previous rankings in parentheses. — Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 25 May 2026 The prose is hypnotic, all the more so for its many digressions and parentheses, unveiling tiny set pieces like so many Fabergé eggs. — Literary Hub, 13 May 2026 Salary values for 2026-27 in parentheses. — Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 8 May 2026 The last two highlight lines alter the way Vim highlights matching parentheses by changing the highlight method to an underline instead of a big full-height cursor-emulating block. — Lee Hutchinson, ArsTechnica, 6 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parentheses
  1. intervals
  2. interruptions
  3. hiatuses
  4. gaps
  5. pauses
Noun
  • That means maintaining an AI inventory, assigning ownership, setting review intervals, monitoring safety and equity metrics and deciding what requires legal, compliance, clinical or patient-safety review.
    — Dr. Alena Fuchs, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
  • Although the numbers on the chassis were divided into various unrelated intervals, the transmissions appeared to be numbered sequentially, as were the tank guns, heaters, road wheels and turret engines.
    — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 7 July 2026
Definition of intervals
Noun
  • The goal is to reduce digital interruptions, improve students’ engagement with classroom lessons, increase face-to-face interactions and reduce conflicts that play out on social media during school hours.
    — Elizabeth Dowdell, Fortune, 15 July 2026
  • Yet, for organizations navigating financial, operational and staffing challenges, these periods of transition can easily become interruptions rather than opportunities.
    — Leslie Anderson, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 July 2026
Definition of interruptions
Noun
  • Despite his enduring success, Rollins was never quite satisfied with his art, occasionally taking lengthy hiatuses from playing and consistently adopting eclectic new styles.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 26 May 2026
  • Despite his enduring success, Rollins was never quite satisfied with his art, occasionally taking lengthy hiatuses from playing and consistently adopting eclectic new styles.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 May 2026
Definition of hiatuses
Noun
  • Seal cracks, gaps around doors and windows, gaps around garden hose pipes, and other entry points where ants may enter buildings.
    — The San Diego Union Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 July 2026
  • China, by comparison, is still working to close long-standing gaps in stealth, propulsion, sensors, and undersea warfare experience.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 11 July 2026
Definition of gaps
Noun
  • Considering the outsize roll these pathogens play in driving severe respiratory illnesses, such as pneumonia, these pauses are alarming.
    — John Kubale, The Conversation, 8 July 2026
  • Packages flow directly from dock doors into scanning, identification and stacking—with no pauses, no handoffs and no redesigns.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 6 July 2026
Definition of pauses

Browse Nearby Words

parented
parentheses
parenthesis
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Parentheses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parentheses. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on parentheses

Nglish: Translation of parentheses for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of obdurate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All