ellipsis

noun

el·​lip·​sis i-ˈlip-səs 

e-

plural ellipses i-ˈlip-ˌsēz 

e-

1

a

: the omission of one or more words that are obviously understood but that must be supplied to make a construction grammatically complete

b

: a sudden leap from one topic to another

2

: marks or a mark (such as … ) indicating an omission (as of words) or a pause

Examples of ellipsis in a Sentence

“Begin when ready” for “Begin when you are ready” is an example of ellipsis.

Recent Examples on the Web

Wrapped in husks, stuffed in ziplock bags and thrown into grocery bags, the culinary Russian nesting dolls represent more than just a holiday tradition for me, but a punctuation mark to end the year and an ellipsis to enter the new one. —Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 24 Dec. 2024

Polk posted to Instagram after the game on a black background of an ellipses and a peace sign before deleting the story. —Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 20 Oct. 2024

The quote is followed by one of those mysterious, unexplained ellipses that can’t help but raise suspicions. —Christian Wiman, Harper's Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024

Ross creates a first-person world of closeups, fadeouts, visual ellipses, and other motifs that sometimes orient us and other times alienate us. —Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek elleipsis ellipsis, ellipse, from elleipein to leave out, fall short, from en in + leipein to leave — more at in, loan

First Known Use

1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

ellipsis

noun

el·​lip·​sis i-ˈlip-səs 

e-

plural ellipses -ˈlip-ˌsēz 

1

: the leaving out of one or more words that are not necessary for a phrase to be understood

"begin when ready" for "begin when you are ready" is an example of ellipsis

2

: marks or a mark (as …) used to indicate that something (as words) has been left out