Meaning

(transitive) to break a word at the end of a line according to the hyphenation rules by adding a hyphen on the end of the line..

Definitions by Sense

1. (transitive) to break a word at the end of a line according to the hyphenation rules by adding a hyphen on the end of the line.
2. (transitive) to join words or syllables with a hyphen.
3. A person or object with multiple duties, abilities or characteristics, such as "writer-director", "actor-model", or "singer-songwriter".
4. A person whose ethnicity is a multi-word hyphenated term, such as "African-American".

Example Sentences

you have to hyphenate his surname as it's double-barrelled

We seem to have settled on African-American, and at first glance it certainly does seem logical. […] Not to mention what happens when hyphenates marry other hyphenates and have baby hyphenates.

Word Forms

• hyphenates
• hyphenating
• hyphenated

Synonyms for hyphenate

Related Words

When Should You Use Hyphenate?

Use hyphenate when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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