# statement

/ˈsteɪtmənt/ (US) · /stˈeɪtmənt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/statement
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. a formal declaration

noun · CEFR B1

something that you say or write in a formal way to give information or an opinion.

For teachers: a formal communication or declaration in speech or writing, often issued to the public or a court.

- The company issued a statement to explain why the shop was closing.
- The prime minister's official statement was carefully drafted to address public concerns without committing the government to immediate spending increases.

Usage: Often used with the verbs 'make', 'issue', or 'release'.

### 2. financial record

noun · CEFR B1

a printed or electronic record of how much money you have in your bank account.

For teachers: a document, typically issued monthly, that summarises all financial transactions within a specific period.

- I check my bank statement every month to see how much I spent on coffee.
- The auditor requested a full set of year-end statements to reconcile the discrepancies found in the company's ledger.

Usage: Usually refers to a 'bank statement'.

### 3. programming instruction

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a single instruction in a computer program.

For teachers: a syntactic unit of a programming language that expresses some action to be carried out.

- The program stopped because there was an error in the print statement.
- The developer refactored the code to replace the nested if-statements with a more efficient switch-case structure.

Usage: Distinguished from an 'expression' in many languages because a statement performs an action but does not return a value.

### 4. bold or noticeable

adjective · CEFR B2

used to describe something, like a piece of clothing or furniture, that is very noticeable and shows your style.

For teachers: serving to express a bold aesthetic or stylistic choice; typically used as an attributive adjective.

- She wore a statement necklace that everyone noticed as soon as she walked in.
- The architect chose a statement staircase for the lobby, intended to serve as the building's primary visual focal point.

Usage: Almost always appears before the noun it describes, such as 'statement piece' or 'statement necklace'.

## Examples

- The company issued a formal statement about the new rules.
- I checked my monthly bank statement to see how much I spent on groceries.
- The witness provided a detailed written statement to the police, outlining the chronological sequence of events leading up to the accident.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.