Meanings
plural run-on sentences
- grammarA written sentence that inappropriately joins two (or more) independent clauses into a single sentence, often with only a comma as separator (comma splice), which should be rendered either as separate sentences or as clauses joined more appropriately (such as by a semicolon or by a comma and coordinating conjunction).
Synonyms: fused sentence
- grammarA written sentence with a coordinating conjunction but missing a comma.
Synonyms: fused sentence
- Any very long, often also in other ways badly formed or even chaotic sentence.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA written sentence that inappropriately joins two (or more) independent clauses into a single sentence, often with only a comma as separator (comma splice), which should be rendered either as separate sentences or as clauses joined more appropriately (such as by a semicolon or by a comma and coordinating conjunction).
nounA written sentence with a coordinating conjunction but missing a comma.
Origin
So called because the sentence runs on beyond the point where it should end.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
German Bandwurmsatz
- BandwurmsatzTranslations
Spanish oración mal puntuada, oración fusionada
- oración mal puntuadaTranslations
- oración fusionadaTranslations
- oración continuaTranslations
Cite this entry
run-on sentence. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/run-on%20sentence
“run-on sentence.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/run-on%20sentence. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “run-on sentence,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/run-on%20sentence.
Source: run-on sentence on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.