clause

The word “clause” means a group of words with its own subject and verb, forming part of a sentence (or occasionally standing as one). In plain terms, in grammar, a subject-plus-verb chunk of a sentence; in law, a single numbered term in a document.

“Clause” is pronounced klawz (/klɔːz/ in IPA).

Here is “clause” used in a sentence: “"Because it was raining" is a clause, but it needs another clause to complete the sentence.”

“Clause” is a noun.

The word “clause” comes from Latin. From Old French clause, ultimately from Latin claudere, "to close" — the same root as "close" and "closet.".

“Clause” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

“Clause” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a group of words with its own subject and verb, forming part of a sentence (or occasionally standing as one).

A clause contains its own subject and verb ("when the rain stopped"), while a phrase is a group of words without that subject-verb pairing ("after the storm"). Every clause can be built into a full sentence; a phrase can only ever be part of one.

An independent clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence ("She left early"). A dependent clause also has a subject and verb, but it begins with a word like "because," "although," or "which," so it cannot stand alone ("because she was tired").

A clause is a grammatical unit containing a subject and a verb; a sentence is one or more clauses punctuated as a complete statement. A single independent clause can serve as a whole sentence, while longer sentences join several clauses together.

In a contract, will, or statute, a clause is a distinct section that sets out one specific term — a confidentiality clause or a termination clause, for example. The grammar sense and the legal sense share the same core idea: a self-contained part of a larger whole.