punctuate
punctuate Lexical Profile
punctuate Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To occur at intervals throughout an event, period, or area, or to interrupt something repeatedly.
"The keynote speaker's address was punctuated by bursts of enthusiastic applause from the audience."
To insert or use punctuation marks (such as commas, periods, or question marks) in written or printed text in order to clarify meaning and separate structural units.
"Students must learn to punctuate complex sentences accurately so their arguments remain clear to the reader."
To give extra emphasis, weight, or force to a statement, action, or conclusion.
"A decisive victory in the championship game punctuated the team's remarkable undefeated season."
• Rhymes for punctuate
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 17th century from Medieval Latin punctuare ('to mark with points'), from Latin punctus ('a pricking or point'), the past participle of pungere ('to prick or pierce').