ellipsis

noun

el·​lip·​sis i-ˈlip-səs How to pronounce ellipsis (audio)
e-
plural ellipses i-ˈlip-ˌsēz How to pronounce ellipsis (audio)
e-
1
a
: the omission of one or more words that are obviously understood but that must be supplied to make a construction grammatically complete
b
: a sudden leap from one topic to another
2
: marks or a mark (such as … ) indicating an omission (as of words) or a pause

Examples of ellipsis in a Sentence

“Begin when ready” for “Begin when you are ready” is an example of ellipsis.
Recent Examples on the Web As such, solar ellipses only happen when a new moon crosses that plane, and lunar eclipses when a full moon crosses the plane. Matt Benoit, Discover Magazine, 1 Dec. 2023 The square brackets that conventionally indicate the first line of an untitled poem here surround an ellipsis, the typographical mark of omission. New York Times, 2 Nov. 2023 His comedic rhythm feels like a throwback, with a lot of zingers and jokes that rely on audience laughter as a sort of ellipsis between punchlines. Margaret Lyons, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2023 The coupling instinct, with its flirtations and ellipses and adherence to the narrative framework of romance, felt burdensome and constraining, like an artificial limb. Rachel Cusk, Harper's Magazine, 10 Sep. 2023 The victim described the material on the door in striking detail — a gray vinyl with a stitched pattern like an ellipsis, a chrome handle with exactly eight small indentations from the bottom to the top. Jen Percy, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2023 It’s littered with ellipsis and dashes betraying the writer’s hesitancy. Sonia Rao, Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2023 Scripted to the point of obeying all the full stops and the ellipses and the hyphens. Kate Aurthur, Variety, 2 Aug. 2023 This time around, the season ends much more on an ellipsis than a period, as if Tropper and company are all but daring their bosses to cancel them again. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 29 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ellipsis.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek elleipsis ellipsis, ellipse, from elleipein to leave out, fall short, from en in + leipein to leave — more at in, loan

First Known Use

1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of ellipsis was in 1540

Dictionary Entries Near ellipsis

Cite this Entry

“Ellipsis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ellipsis. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ellipsis

noun
el·​lip·​sis i-ˈlip-səs How to pronounce ellipsis (audio)
e-
plural ellipses -ˈlip-ˌsēz How to pronounce ellipsis (audio)
1
: the leaving out of one or more words that are not necessary for a phrase to be understood
"begin when ready" for "begin when you are ready" is an example of ellipsis
2
: marks or a mark (as …) used to indicate that something (as words) has been left out

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