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

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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 numbers show customers potentially affected in each county, with Medical Baseline customers in parentheses. — Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2026 Top 10 With records through Tuesday and last week’s ranking in parentheses. — Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026 Numbers in parentheses indicate passage numbers within each chapter. — Ethan Teekah, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026 All figures in parentheses below are current estimates for those crop years in million bales. — Sj Guest Editorial, Footwear News, 18 Aug. 2026 Irrespective of his death in parentheses, Philip Sidney wielded the two typographical boomerangs with aplomb in his brilliantly stylish and dizzyingly chaotic Arcadia. — Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2026 Their ages as of the start of next season are in parentheses. — Zach Harper, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 The tutor recognized the expression, asked him to clarify his parentheses, and guided him through a second application of the difference-of-squares pattern. — Ray Ravaglia, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parentheses
  1. intervals
  2. interruptions
  3. hiatuses
  4. gaps
  5. pauses
Noun
  • At irregular intervals, 27 leap seconds have been added to global clocks since 1972 – the last in 2016.
    — Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The Edge can display in-workout metrics and pace targets, heart rate zones for HIIT intervals, and other live figures to show you how your training is going.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of intervals
Noun
  • Unknown senders can move into a separate folder, reducing interruptions.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The results are based on an ideal scenario in which all patients stayed on treatment without interruptions.
    — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of interruptions
Noun
  • Manon Bannerman and Sophia Laforteza are taking separate hiatuses from Katseye; while Bannerman’s status in the group remains unknown, Laforteza’s mental-health break will continue until she’s reassessed in September.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Haircut 100, on the other hand, took some long hiatuses as a band.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of hiatuses
Noun
  • The double-slit experiment, for example, is a classic setup where scientists send particles through two gaps in a screen and observe a resulting interference pattern, proving that the particles act as waves.
    — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Kyiv has since also reported gaps in intelligence sharing and restrictions on Elon Musk’s Starlink service, which is crucial for its drone missions, battlefield communications and air defense.
    — Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of gaps
Noun
  • The rapper blazed through an eight-song set in 18 minutes, taking only brief pauses to shout out her backing musicians and, at one point, remark on the lack of Maryland crab cakes in her rider.
    — Walden Green, Pitchfork, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Nicole Durkin pauses while talking about her son Michael, 16, at her home in Valparaiso, Indiana, Wednesday, October 14, 2026.
    — Amy Lavalley, Chicago Tribune, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of pauses

Browse Nearby Words

parented
parentheses
parenthesis
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Cite this Entry

“Parentheses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parentheses. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

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