sentence


Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Related to sentence: sentence structure, simple sentence

sentence

A sentence, whether short or long, must express a complete idea; and a complete sentence must consist of at least one independent clause—that is, a subject and predicate that make a complete thought. Independent clauses are so called because they make sense when they stand on their own. They are also sometimes referred to as “main clauses.”
Continue reading...

sen·tence

 (sĕn′təns)
n.
1. A grammatical unit that is syntactically independent and has a subject that is expressed or, as in imperative sentences, understood and a predicate that contains at least one finite verb.
2. The penalty imposed by a law court or other authority upon someone found guilty of a crime or other offense.
3. Archaic A maxim.
4. Obsolete An opinion, especially one given formally after deliberation.
tr.v. sen·tenced, sen·tenc·ing, sen·tenc·es
To impose a sentence on (a criminal defendant found guilty, for example).

[Middle English, opinion, from Old French, from Latin sententia (perhaps dissimilated from *sentientia), from sentiēns, sentient-, present participle of sentīre, to feel; see sent- in Indo-European roots.]

sen′tenc·er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

sentence

(ˈsɛntəns)
n
1. (Linguistics) 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
2. (Law) the judgment formally pronounced upon a person convicted in criminal proceedings, esp the decision as to what punishment is to be imposed
3. an opinion, judgment, or decision
4. (Music, other) music another word for period11
5. (Ecclesiastical Terms) any short passage of scripture employed in liturgical use: the funeral sentences.
6. (Logic) logic a well-formed expression, without variables
7. archaic a proverb, maxim, or aphorism
vb
(Law) (tr) to pronounce sentence on (a convicted person) in a court of law: the judge sentenced the murderer to life imprisonment.
[C13: via Old French from Latin sententia a way of thinking, from sentīre to feel]
sentential adj
senˈtentially adv
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

sen•tence

(ˈsɛn tns)

n., v. -tenced, -tenc•ing. n.
1. a structurally independent grammatical unit of one or more words, in speech often preceded and followed by pauses and in writing begun with a capital letter and ended with a period or other end punctuation, typically consisting of a subject and a predicate containing a finite verb and expressing a statement, question, request, command, or exclamation, as Summer is here. or Who is it? or Stop!
2. a judicial decision or decree, esp. one decreeing the punishment to be inflicted on a convicted criminal.
3. Obs. an opinion given on a particular question.
v.t.
4. to pronounce sentence upon; condemn to punishment.
[1175–1225; < Old French < Latin sententia opinion, decision =sent- (base of sentīre to feel) + -entia -ence]
sen′tenc•er, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sentence

 of judges—Bk. of St. Albans, 1486.
Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

sentence


Past participle: sentenced
Gerund: sentencing

Imperative
sentence
sentence
Present
I sentence
you sentence
he/she/it sentences
we sentence
you sentence
they sentence
Preterite
I sentenced
you sentenced
he/she/it sentenced
we sentenced
you sentenced
they sentenced
Present Continuous
I am sentencing
you are sentencing
he/she/it is sentencing
we are sentencing
you are sentencing
they are sentencing
Present Perfect
I have sentenced
you have sentenced
he/she/it has sentenced
we have sentenced
you have sentenced
they have sentenced
Past Continuous
I was sentencing
you were sentencing
he/she/it was sentencing
we were sentencing
you were sentencing
they were sentencing
Past Perfect
I had sentenced
you had sentenced
he/she/it had sentenced
we had sentenced
you had sentenced
they had sentenced
Future
I will sentence
you will sentence
he/she/it will sentence
we will sentence
you will sentence
they will sentence
Future Perfect
I will have sentenced
you will have sentenced
he/she/it will have sentenced
we will have sentenced
you will have sentenced
they will have sentenced
Future Continuous
I will be sentencing
you will be sentencing
he/she/it will be sentencing
we will be sentencing
you will be sentencing
they will be sentencing
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been sentencing
you have been sentencing
he/she/it has been sentencing
we have been sentencing
you have been sentencing
they have been sentencing
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been sentencing
you will have been sentencing
he/she/it will have been sentencing
we will have been sentencing
you will have been sentencing
they will have been sentencing
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been sentencing
you had been sentencing
he/she/it had been sentencing
we had been sentencing
you had been sentencing
they had been sentencing
Conditional
I would sentence
you would sentence
he/she/it would sentence
we would sentence
you would sentence
they would sentence
Past Conditional
I would have sentenced
you would have sentenced
he/she/it would have sentenced
we would have sentenced
you would have sentenced
they would have sentenced
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

sentence

A group of words forming an independent grammatical unit, usually made up of a subject and a predicate that contains a finite verb.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.sentence - a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language; "he always spoke in grammatical sentences"
simple sentence - a sentence having no coordinate clauses or subordinate clauses
complex sentence - a sentence composed of at least one main clause and one subordinate clause
compound sentence - a sentence composed of at least two coordinate independent clauses
grammatical constituent, constituent - (grammar) a word or phrase or clause forming part of a larger grammatical construction
clause - (grammar) an expression including a subject and predicate but not constituting a complete sentence
declarative sentence, declaratory sentence - a sentence (in the indicative mood) that makes a declaration
run-on sentence - an ungrammatical sentence in which two or more independent clauses are conjoined without a conjunction
topic sentence - a sentence that states the topic of its paragraph
linguistic string, string of words, word string - a linear sequence of words as spoken or written
interrogation, interrogative, interrogative sentence, question - a sentence of inquiry that asks for a reply; "he asked a direct question"; "he had trouble phrasing his interrogations"
2.sentence - (criminal law) a final judgment of guilty in a criminal case and the punishment that is imposed; "the conviction came as no surprise"
final decision, final judgment - a judgment disposing of the case before the court; after the judgment (or an appeal from it) is rendered all that remains is to enforce the judgment
murder conviction - conviction for murder
robbery conviction - conviction for robbery
criminal law - the body of law dealing with crimes and their punishment
3.sentence - the period of time a prisoner is imprisoned; "he served a prison term of 15 months"; "his sentence was 5 to 10 years"; "he is doing time in the county jail"
term - a limited period of time; "a prison term"; "he left school before the end of term"
hard time - a term served in a maximum security prison
life sentence, life - a prison term lasting as long as the prisoner lives; "he got life for killing the guard"
Verb1.sentence - pronounce a sentence on (somebody) in a court of law; "He was condemned to ten years in prison"
law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order"
foredoom - doom beforehand
declare - state emphatically and authoritatively; "He declared that he needed more money to carry out the task he was charged with"
reprobate - abandon to eternal damnation; "God reprobated the unrepenting sinner"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

sentence

noun
1. punishment, prison sentence, jail sentence, prison term, condemnation He was given a four-year sentence.
2. verdict, order, ruling, decision, judgment, decree, pronouncement When she heard of the sentence, she said: `Is that all?'
verb
1. condemn, doom A military court sentenced him to death in his absence.
2. convict, condemn, penalize, pass judgment on, mete out justice to, impose a sentence on They sentenced him for punching a policewoman
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

sentence

noun
A judicial decision, especially one setting the punishment to be inflicted on a convicted person:
Slang: rap.
verb
To pronounce judgment against:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
جملةجُمْلَةجُمْلَهحُكْمعُقوبَه، حُكم
изречениеосъждамосъжданеприсъда
odsouditvětarozsudektrestsentence
sætningstrafdomdømmeidømme
frazo
lause
lausetuomiotuomitavirkerangaistus
rečenicaosuditipresudapresuditikazna
mondatbüntetéselítélítélet
kalimat
dæmadómursetning, málsgrein
刑罰判決を下す
문장판결판결을 내리다
nuosprendissakinys
notiesātpiespriest soduspriedumsteikums
veta
stavekkazenobsoditipoved
реченица
dommeningstrafffrasavkunna dom över
การพิพากษาตัดสินลงโทษประโยค
bản áncâukết án

sentence

[ˈsentəns]
A. N
1. (Ling) → frase f, oración f
he writes very long sentencesescribe frases or oraciones larguísimas
what does this sentence mean?¿qué significa esta frase or oración?
2. (Jur) → sentencia f, fallo m
a sentence of ten yearsuna condena de diez años
the judge gave him a six-month sentenceel juez le condenó a seis meses de prisión
the death sentencela pena de muerte
under sentence of deathcondenado a la pena de muerte
he got a life sentencefue condenado a cadena perpetua
a long sentenceuna larga condena
to pass sentence on sb (lit, fig) → condenar a algn (a una pena)
he got a five-year prison sentencese le condenó a cinco años de prisión
to serve one's sentencecumplir su condena
B. VTcondenar (to a) to sentence sb to life imprisonmentcondenar a algn a cadena perpetua
to sentence sb to deathcondenar a muerte a algn
C. CPD sentence structure Nestructura f de la frase
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

sentence

[ˈsɛntəns]
n
(= group of words) → phrase f
What does this sentence mean? → Que veut dire cette phrase?
(LAW) (= punishment) → peine f
She is serving a four-year sentence → Elle purge une peine de quatre ans.
He got a life sentence → Il a été condamné à la réclusion à perpétuité.
the death sentence → la peine de mort
to pass sentence [judge, court] → rendre sa sentence
to pass sentence on sb → prononcer une peine contre qn
She had been found guilty but sentence had not yet been passed → Elle avait été déclarée coupable mais la sentence n'avait pas encore été rendue.
vtjuger
He will be sentenced later today → Il sera jugé dans la journée.
to sentence sb to 5 years → condamner qn à 5 ans
to sentence sb to life imprisonment → condamner qn à la réclusion à perpétuité
to sentence sb to death → condamner qn à mortsentence adverb n (LINGUISTICS)adverbe m de phrase
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

sentence

n
(Gram) → Satz m; sentence structureSatzbau m; (of particular sentence)Satzaufbau m, → Satzstruktur f
(Jur) → Strafe f; to be under sentence of deathzum Tode verurteilt sein; the judge gave him a 6-month sentenceder Richter verurteilte ihn zu 6 Monaten Haft; to pass sentence (on somebody)(über jdn) das Urteil verkünden; (fig)jdn verurteilen
vt (Jur) → verurteilen; he was sentenced to life imprisonmenter wurde zu lebenslänglichem Freiheitsentzug verurteilt
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

sentence

[ˈsɛntəns]
1. n
a. (gen) → frase f (Gram) → proposizione f; (complex sentence) → periodo
b. (Law) (verdict) → sentenza; (punishment) → condanna
to pass sentence on sb → condannare qn (fig) → giudicare qn
sentence of death → condanna a morte
under sentence of death → condannato/a a morte
the judge gave him a 6-month sentence → il giudice lo ha condannato a 6 mesi di prigione
2. vt to sentence sb to death/to 5 years (in prison)condannare qn a morte/a 5 anni (di prigione)
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

sentence

(ˈsentəns) noun
1. a number of words forming a complete statement. `I want it', and `Give it to me!' are sentences.
2. a punishment imposed by a lawcourt. a sentence of three years' imprisonment; He is under sentence of death.
verb
(usually with to) to condemn to a particular punishment. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

sentence

جُمْلَة, حُكْم, يَحْكُمُ odsoudit, rozsudek, věta idømme, sætning, straf Satz, Strafurteil, verurteilen καταδικάζω, καταδίκη, πρόταση oración, sentencia, sentenciar lause, tuomio, tuomita condamner, phrase, verdict kazna, osuditi, rečenica condanna, condannare, frase 刑罰, 判決を下す, 文 문장, 판결, 판결을 내리다 veroordelen, vonnis, zin dom, idømme, setning skazać, wyrok, zdanie frase, sentença, sentenciar предложение, приговаривать, приговор avkunna dom över, dom, mening การพิพากษา, ตัดสินลงโทษ, ประโยค ceza, cümle, mahkum etmek bản án, câu, kết án 判刑, 句子, 徒刑
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
[Language in general includes the following parts:- Letter, Syllable, Connecting word, Noun, Verb, Inflexion or Case, Sentence or Phrase.
At that time, it was the custom (as I learnt from my terrible experience of that Sessions) to devote a concluding day to the passing of Sentences, and to make a finishing effect with the Sentence of Death.
Then the Snark pronounced sentence, the Judge being quite Too nervous to utter a word: When it rose to its feet, there was silence like night, And the fall of a pin might be heard.
There will be no jury to stand between the judges who are to pronounce the sentence of the law, and the party who is to receive or suffer it.
My poor afflicted governess was now as much concerned as I, and a great deal more truly penitent, though she had no prospect of being brought to trial and sentence. Not but that she deserved it as much as I, and so she said herself; but she had not done anything herself for many years, other than receiving what I and others stole, and encouraging us to steal it.
"They not only meet, but they have passed a sentence, monseigneur."
One foul sentence doth more hurt, than many foul examples.
Thus run the official words of the reprieve addressed to the hearts ashore lying under a heavy sentence. And they come swiftly from the other side of the earth, over wires and cables, for your electric telegraph is a great alleviator of anxiety.
This argument capped all the others, and, in order so much the more effectually to destroy the germ of conspiracy, sentence of death was unanimously pronounced against Cornelius van Baerle, as being arraigned, and convicted, for having, under the innocent appearance of a tulip-fancier, participated in the detestable intrigues and abominable plots of the brothers De Witt against Dutch nationality and in their secret relations with their French enemy.
``A sentence! a sentence!'' exclaimed the chief Outlaw.
Found guilty by a jury notable for the business and professional men on it, the death sentence was passed upon him and he was removed to San Quentin for execution.
Take him, therefore, and throw him into prison." The Marionette, on hearing this sentence passed upon him, was thoroughly stunned.