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.
Noun
Secondly, if someone using a dash instead of a hyphen sends you scurrying into a corner, maybe reading is too risky for you.—John Nogowski, Hartford Courant, 17 Jan. 2025 The Memorable Password option creates a password of English words separated by hyphens.—PCMAG, 2 July 2024
Verb
Normally, closed caption subtitling bleeps words in a variety of different ways: phrases, such as (bleep), [expletive], or [censored] may be used, though sometimes hyphens or asterisks are substituted instead (f–k, f---, or f*** are all examples.—Ace Ratcliff, SELF, 10 July 2018 See All Example Sentences for hyphen
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Late Latin & Greek; Late Latin, from Greek, from hyph' hen under one, from hypo under + hen, neuter of heis one — more at up, same
Share