- a grammatical unit of one or more words that expresses an independent statement, question, request, command, exclamation, etc., and that typically has a subject as well as a predicate, as in John is here. or Is John here? In print or writing, a sentence typically begins with a capital letter and ends with appropriate punctuation; in speech it displays recognizable, communicative intonation patterns and is often marked by preceding and following pauses.
- Law.
- an authoritative decision; a judicial judgment or decree, especially the judicial determination of the punishment to be inflicted on a convicted criminal: Knowledgeable sources say that the judge will announce the sentence early next week.
- the punishment itself; term: a three-year sentence.
- a complete idea, usually consisting of eight to sixteen measures; period (def. 18).
- a saying, apothegm, or maxim.
- an opinion given on a particular question.
- to pronounce sentence upon; condemn to punishment: The judge sentenced her to six months in jail.
- a sequence of words capable of standing alone to make an assertion, ask a question, or give a command, usually consisting of a subject and a predicate containing a finite verb
- the judgment formally pronounced upon a person convicted in criminal proceedings, esp the decision as to what punishment is to be imposed
- an opinion, judgment, or decision
- music another word for period (def. 11)
- any short passage of scripture employed in liturgical use
- a well-formed expression, without variables
- a proverb, maxim, or aphorism
- to pronounce sentence on (a convicted person) in a court of law
