clause

clause — noun

1. A section within a formal written document, such as a contract or a law, that st

1.noun
Definition

A section within a formal written document, such as a contract or a law, that states a specific rule, obligation, or condition that people must follow.

Example

Leila asked her lawyer to explain each clause in the insurance policy before signing.

collocation: 'clause in [a policy/contract]'

The employment contract contains a clause that prevents workers from sharing company secrets.

structure: 'contains a clause that [verb phrase]'

Common collocations
  • confidentiality clause
  • penalty clause
  • termination clause
  • include a clause
  • breach a clause
  • subject to a clause
Synonyms
  • provision

    A condition or stipulation within a legal document; slightly broader than clause and often implies something that must be fulfilled

  • article

    A numbered or titled section in a formal legal document, especially in constitutions or treaties

  • term

    A specific condition of an agreement, commonly used in business and commercial contracts

Usage Note

Frequently used with verbs such as 'include,' 'contain,' 'add,' 'breach,' or 'violate.' The subject is typically a document (contract, agreement, law, treaty) and the clause itself names a specific requirement or prohibition.

Common Mistakes

The company violated a paragraph of the contract.
The company violated a clause of the contract.
A clause is a specific provision within a legal document, not the same as a paragraph.
Sign each clause of the agreement.
Sign the agreement, which contains several clauses.
You sign the whole document, not individual clauses.

2. In grammar, a set of words built around a verb that has its own subject, forming

2.nounB2
Definition

In grammar, a set of words built around a verb that has its own subject, forming either a complete sentence by itself or a part of a longer sentence.

Example

The teacher showed how a complex sentence joins one main clause to one or more subordinate clauses.

main clause + subordinate clause structure

Priya studied each clause in the paragraph to check whether every sentence was complete.

Common collocations
  • main clause
  • subordinate clause
  • relative clause
  • dependent clause
  • independent clause
  • noun clause

Usage Note

Clauses are divided into main (independent) clauses, which can stand alone as a sentence, and subordinate (dependent) clauses, which cannot. A clause is different from a phrase: a phrase lacks a subject-verb structure.

Common Mistakes

A phrase is the same as a clause.
A phrase differs from a clause because a phrase lacks a subject-verb relationship.
A clause must contain a subject and a verb; a phrase does not.
Every clause can stand alone as a complete sentence.
Only main clauses can stand alone; subordinate clauses depend on a main clause.
Subordinate clauses cannot function as independent sentences.

Word family

  • clausal
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While clause, provision, article, and term all refer to parts of legal or formal documents, they differ in scope and usage. Clause is the most general word for a specific rule or condition within a contract, law, or treaty — for example, a non-disclosure clause in an employment agreement. Provision is similar but often implies a condition or stipulation that must be fulfilled rather than just a statement; a contract might include a payment provision that sets deadlines. Article is more structured: it refers to numbered or titled sections in formal documents such as constitutions or international treaties. Term is common in business and commercial agreements and focuses on a specific condition of the deal, such as payment terms or delivery terms. In practice, a single article may contain several clauses, and a contract's terms are spelled out through its various clauses and provisions.

provision ↗article ↗term

Common collocations

Phrases

  • draft a clause
  • read a clause
  • add a clause

Prepositions

  • in a clause
  • under a clause
  • by clause

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Clause comes from Latin 'clausa,' meaning 'conclusion' or 'end of a sentence,' from the verb 'claudere' (to close or shut). It passed through Old French 'clause' into Middle English. The legal sense developed from the idea of a concluding section or provision in a document. The grammatical sense preserves the original Latin meaning of a complete unit of expression.