define semantics.
semantics (uncountable) ( 1 linguistics) A branch of linguistics studying the meaning of words. 2  The study of the relationship between words and their meanings. 3  The individual meanings of words, as opposed to the overall meaning of a passage. The semantics of the terms used are debatable.â. The semantics of a single preposition is a dissertation in itself.â.
uncountable noun. 1  Semantics is the branch of linguistics that deals with the meanings of words and sentences. 2  the branch of linguistics that deals with the study of meaning, changes in meaning, and the principles that govern the relationship between sentences or words and their meanings.