periodic sentence

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˌpɪərɪˈɒdɪk/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(pēr′ē od′ik, pēr′-)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
pe′ri•od′ic sen′tence  (pēr′ē od′ik, pēr′-),USA pronunciation 
  1. Grammar, Poetry, Rhetorica sentence that, by leaving the completion of its main clause to the end, produces an effect of suspense, as in Unable to join the others at the dance because of my sprained ankle, I went to a movie. Cf. loose sentence. 
  • 1895–1900

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
periodic sentence /ˌpɪərɪˈɒdɪk/ n
  1. a sentence in which the completion of the main clause is left to the end, thus creating an effect of suspense
'periodic sentence' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
loose sentence - period

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