complex sentence

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

ˈcom•plex ˈsen•tence, n. [countable]

1. Grammar a sentence containing one or more dependent clauses in addition to the main clause, such as the sentence When the bell rings, we will all walk out, which is made up of When the bell rings (a dependent clause), and we will all walk out (the main clause).

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

com′plex sen′tence, 

1. Grammar a sentence containing one or more dependent clauses in addition to the main clause, as When the bell rings (dependent clause), walk out (main clause).

• 1880–85

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

complex sentence noun

1. a sentence containing at least one main clause and one subordinate clause