hyphenate

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verb

hy·phen·ate ˈhī-fə-ˌnāt

hyphenated; hyphenating

transitive verb

: to connect (words) or divide (a word, such as a word at the end of a line of print) with a hyphen

hyphenation

ˌhī-fə-ˈnā-shən

noun

hyphenate

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noun

: a person who performs more than one function (such as a producer-director in filmmaking)

Did you know?

In the early 20th century, the noun hyphenate referred to a resident or citizen of the U.S. whose recent foreign national origin caused others to question his or her patriotic loyalties - with or without there being just cause for that questioning. These hyphenates - the Irish-Americans, German-Americans, and others - were objects of suspicion. The hyphenates we're highlighting today are more often objects of admiration. Since around 1974, we've been referring to people with hyphens in their titles - producer-directors, for example, as hyphenates.

Examples of hyphenate in a Sentence

Verb In English, we hyphenate some compounds but not others.

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Verb

Women who don't want to lose their surnames sometimes hyphenate them with their fiancés'. —

Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024 Hax chat: Husband says hyphenating baby’s last name is confusing 3 Opinion|The world has changed, and Trump needs a mulligan 4 The life of two Boeing Starliner astronauts stuck indefinitely in space 5 Olympic Ceremonies on the Seine were a daring feat. —

Jerry Brewer, Washington Post, 27 July 2024

Noun

The new Producer’s Mark rules clear up how hyphenates (like writer-producers or director-producers) can qualify for the mark and change the standards for how producing partners can both receive the p.g.a. certification. —

Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Oct. 2024 Actors who sing, singers who act: Hollywood’s entertainment-industrial complex is strewn with false starts from would-be hyphenates tempted by success in one field to try their luck in another. —

Hugh Hart, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hyphenate