Definition Lists

Term-definition pairs (extension)

Markdown Source

Term 1
: Definition 1

Term 2
: Definition 2a
: Definition 2b

Rendered HTML Output

<dl><dt>Term 1</dt><dd>Definition 1</dd>
<dt>Term 2</dt><dd>Definition 2a</dd><dd>Definition 2b</dd></dl>

Explanation

Definition lists are a Markdown extension. Term on its own line, definition(s) on following lines starting with :. Multiple : lines add multiple definitions for one term.

Tips & Common Mistakes

Not in CommonMark or GFM. Supported in PHP Markdown Extra, Pandoc, and some documentation generators.

Related Markdown Examples

Ordered and Unordered Lists Markdown Tables with Alignment

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All Examples

Markdown Tables with Alignment Images with Alt Text Fenced Code Blocks with Syntax Highlighting Links (Inline, Reference, Auto)Headings H1–H6 Bold, Italic, Strikethrough Ordered and Unordered Lists Block Quotes Horizontal Rules Task Lists / Checkboxes Footnotes Emoji Shortcodes Nested Lists Escaping Special Characters