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GeezerVison is showing www.dictionary.com — ARTICLE Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

Synonyms
Trivia Time
What was the subject of news articles leading to a 1971 Supreme Court battle over freedom of the press?

article

American  
[ahr-ti-kuhl] / ˈɑr tɪ kəl /

noun

  • articles
    plural
  1. a written composition in prose, usually nonfiction, on a specific topic, forming an independent part of a book or other publication, as a newspaper or magazine.

  2. an individual object, member, or portion of a class; an item or particular: articles of clothing.

    an article of food;

    articles of clothing.

  3. something of indefinite character or description.

    What is that article?

  4. an item for sale; commodity.

  5. Grammar. any member of a small class of words, or, as in Swedish or Romanian, affixes, found in certain languages, as English, French, and Arabic, that are linked to nouns and that typically have a grammatical function identifying the noun as a noun rather than describing it. In English the definite article is the, the indefinite article is a or an, and their force is generally to impart specificity to the noun or to single out the referent from the class named by the noun.

  6. a clause, item, point, or particular in a contract, treaty, or other formal agreement; a condition or stipulation in a contract or bargain.

    The lawyers disagreed on the article covering plagiarism suits.

  7. a separate clause or provision of a statute.

  8. Slang. a person.

    Trust me, this guy's not just any article, he's Mr. Right.

  9. Archaic. a subject or matter of interest, thought, business, etc.

  10. Obsolete. a specific or critical point of time; juncture or moment.

    the article of death.


verb (used with object)

articled, articling
  1. to set forth in articles; charge or accuse specifically.

    They articled his alleged crimes.

  2. to bind by articles of covenant or stipulation.

    to article an apprentice.

article British  
/ ˈɑːtɪkəl /

noun

  1. one of a class of objects; item

    an article of clothing

  2. an unspecified or previously named thing, esp a small object

    he put the article on the table

  3. a distinct part of a subject or action

  4. a written composition on a subject, often being one of several found in a magazine, newspaper, etc

  5. grammar a kind of determiner, occurring in many languages including English, that lacks independent meaning but may serve to indicate the specificity of reference of the noun phrase with which it occurs See also definite article indefinite article

  6. a clause or section in a written document such as a treaty, contract, statute, etc

  7. formerly, undergoing training, according to the terms of a written contract, in the legal profession

  8. (often capital) Christianity See article of faith Thirty-nine Articles

  9. archaic a topic or subject

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. archaic to accuse

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

  • subarticle
    noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

  • articles
    plural

Etymology

Origin of article

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Medieval Latin articulus “article of faith,” Latin: “joint, limb, member, clause, grammatical article,” equivalent to arti- (combining form of artus “joint”; akin to arthro-, arm 2 ) + -culus diminutive ( see -cule 1)


Explanation

Vocabulary.com

A piece of non-fiction prose written for a publication is one kind of article. But a piece of a collection of something is also an article, like an article of clothing. If you're talking grammar, definite and indefinite articles are words, such as a, an, and the, whose purpose is to indicate, specify and limit a noun. An article of faith is something that is firmly believed. And an article of organization or incorporation is a section of a legal document that sets out rules for a company.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing article

Vocabulary.com

Language and Grammar - Introductory

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

13th Amendment (1865)

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Common Core Grades 7–8, List 1

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

article articles articled articling

One of the board members ended up seeing that article and reaching out to me after hearing the success that I had as a CMO and driving growth at Artsy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026

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The Atlantic article by journalist Vauhini Vara alleged that AI-detection software Pangram had shown his work about a boy whose family falls on hard times was entirely AI generated.

From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026

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For some people, owning gold is a part of their identity, almost an article of religious belief.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026

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The prince's article also emphasises efforts being made to create a more positive culture and to prevent "outdated thinking and behaviour" and it highlights women who have had successful military careers.

From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2026

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I even wrote an article for my school newspaper about it.

From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga

The first point to note about these articles is that they are a notable departure from either of the two prior cases in U.S. history in which a Cabinet officer has been impeached.

From Slate ● Nov. 10, 2026

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But United's articles of association state that responsibilities delegated by directors can also be "revoked or altered".

From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2026

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Many of the sources outed in the book, he writes, “are well-known public figures who have written and talked extensively” and have “published their own memoirs, papers, articles and oral histories.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2026

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His articles allege violations of the 1973 War Powers Resolution, as well as misconduct involving civilian casualties and operations in Yemen and Venezuela.

From Barron's ● Nov. 9, 2026

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To get through the front door, they had to move several boxes of framed newspaper articles, photos, and other circus memorabilia to the side.

From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith

An earlier version of this articled misidentified the president whom Michael Jordan skipped out on meeting.

From New York Times ● Jun. 4, 2018

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After leaving school in 1944 to become articled to a firm of accountants, he continued with semi-professional "vent shows" several nights a week.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 20, 2013

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Briefly Frank was articled to a Cheltenham estate agent, before joining the Stroud News as a local reporter in 1956.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 25, 2013

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Son of a British actor, Herbert Marshall fitted himself, at St. Mary's College, to be an articled clerk.

From Time Magazine Archive

I was not the only articled clerk at Witkin, Sidelsky and Eidelman.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Fortunately he went on probation of three weeks before articling.

From Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 2 Sexual Inversion by Havelock Ellis

Logo link to Project Gutenberg

If we demur to a doctrine because we cannot fully and adequately comprehend it, is not this too familiar from a creature towards his Creator, and articling more strictly with Almighty God than becomes us?'

From The English Church in the Eighteenth Century by Charles J. (Charles John) Abbey

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Related Words

  • column
  • commentary
  • editorial
  • essay
  • feature
  • item
  • paper
  • piece
  • story

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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