as in intervals
a break in continuity
there was a parenthesis of silence when the microphone momentarily lost power
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Recent Examples of parentheses
The number in parentheses is what percentage of ballots the candidate was on last year.
—
Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Top 10 With records through Monday and previous rankings in parentheses.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
Here is the Hurricanes’ complete 2026 schedule with 2025 records in parentheses.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2026
Their year of induction is in parentheses.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Japan Book Hot 100 Top 10 (Numbers in parentheses indicate the title’s metric placements for physical stores, EC, e-books, subscriptions, and social media, top 20 only.
—Billboard Japan, Billboard, 18 Dec. 2025
Records and Super Bowl chances appear in parentheses.
—Mike Sando, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
The notes — about 30 rows of capital letters, numbers, dashes and parentheses broken into sections — baffled investigators.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Top 10 With records through Monday and previous rankings in parentheses.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
Here is the Hurricanes’ complete 2026 schedule with 2025 records in parentheses.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2026
Their year of induction is in parentheses.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Japan Book Hot 100 Top 10 (Numbers in parentheses indicate the title’s metric placements for physical stores, EC, e-books, subscriptions, and social media, top 20 only.
—Billboard Japan, Billboard, 18 Dec. 2025
Records and Super Bowl chances appear in parentheses.
—Mike Sando, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
The notes — about 30 rows of capital letters, numbers, dashes and parentheses broken into sections — baffled investigators.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parentheses
Noun
-
Competitors start in intervals and go through four shooting segments, with five targets each.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Chilly with intervals of clouds and sunshine.—
David Ferrara,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Officials do not expect interruptions in water service during the work on the Gest Street water main.—
Patricia Gallagher Newberry,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Google says the new setup is meant to reduce tab overload and interruptions.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Many older athletes, celebrated for beating the odds or for being the oldest, return despite setbacks and hiatuses from competition.—
Alexa Mikhail,
Flow Space,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Coverdale has served as the grounding vocalist for Whitesnake since 1978, with a few brief hiatuses.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
14 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
But expecting that dogs will fill the social and emotional gaps in our lives is actually an obstacle to dogs’ flourishing, and human flourishing as well.—
Margret Grebowicz,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Key contributors include lack of availability, transportation to these services, workforce availability and insurance coverage gaps.—
Nora O'Neill,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Funding was eventually restored after a series of lawsuits that challenged payment pauses, eligibility requirements and requests from the federal government for sensitive citizen data.—
Dale Denwalt,
Oklahoman,
1 Feb. 2026
-
The president works in the first lady’s suggestion, and pauses, turns and points to her after delivering the line during his speech.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Parentheses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parentheses. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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