noun

colon

KOH-luhn

noun

The punctuation mark ":", used to introduce a list, explanation, or quotation.

"Remember to add a colon before you start the bulleted list."

"The sentence needed a colon, not a comma, before the explanation."

The main part of the large intestine, which absorbs water and forms waste before it leaves the body.

"Doctors recommend a colonoscopy after age 45 to check the colon for polyps."

How to Use Colon

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither the punctuation mark ":" or the main section of the large intestine — two unrelated meanings that happen to share a spelling.

Common mistake

Don't confuse with "colonel" (a military rank) — they sound nothing alike despite similar spelling.

Easily confused with

colonel →

Word Forms

colons plural, cola plural, colons plural, cola plural, coli plural, colons plural

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

Remember to add a _____ before you start the bulleted list.

Etymology

From Latin colon, "a clause of a poem," from Greek kolon, "limb, clause, part of a verse" — the intestinal sense comes from a separate, similar-looking Greek word for the organ.

Rhymes for colon

solon

See all rhymes for colon →