punctuate
verb
punc·tu·ate
ˈpəŋk-chə-ˌwāt 
punctuated; punctuating
1
: to mark or divide (written matter) with punctuation marks
2
: to break into or interrupt at intervals
the steady click of her needles punctuated the silence—
Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton3
: to use punctuation marks
Examples of punctuate in a Sentence
Do you know how to punctuate a sentence correctly?
punctuated each and every word of his denial with a pound of his fist on the table
Recent Examples on the Web
The Jets were three seconds from escaping the double-minor with a gutsy kill, punctuated by blocks from Brandon Tanev, one great save by Hellebuyck and a short-handed breakaway by Connor — the tying goal scripted on his stick — that Oettinger turned aside.
—Murat Ates, New York Times, 14 May 2025
Back home, Jokic arrived to Game 3 in a purple suit punctuated by a green vest — a statement outfit that could only be pulled off by Gotham’s clown prince of crime himself.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 10 May 2025
At Coachella, Fender punctuated the song’s climax with a messy guitar solo that seemed to lampoon the whole idea of guitar solos.
—Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025
But instead of celestial bodies sparkling in the night, doctors in South Korea were gazing at bright brain lesions punctuating a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 9 May 2025
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Murat Ates, New York Times, 14 May 2025
Back home, Jokic arrived to Game 3 in a purple suit punctuated by a green vest — a statement outfit that could only be pulled off by Gotham’s clown prince of crime himself.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 10 May 2025
At Coachella, Fender punctuated the song’s climax with a messy guitar solo that seemed to lampoon the whole idea of guitar solos.
—Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025
But instead of celestial bodies sparkling in the night, doctors in South Korea were gazing at bright brain lesions punctuating a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for punctuate
Cite this Entry
“Punctuate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punctuate. Accessed 17 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
punctuate
verb
punc·tu·ate
ˈpəŋ(k)-chə-ˌwāt
punctuated; punctuating
1
: to mark or divide with punctuation marks
2
: to interrupt at intervals
a speech punctuated by a harsh cough
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