Indent

In word processing, the word indent is used to describe the distance, or number of blank spaces used to separate a paragraph from the left or right margins.

The following is an example of indented text:

Paragraph alignment against left margin.

This is the indented paragraph separated from the left margin using blank spaces.
This is the indented paragraph separated from the left margin using blank spaces.
This is the indented paragraph separated from the left margin using blank spaces.

Paragraph alignment against left margin.

Indents can also be negative. This is called an outdent, which pulls the paragraph outside of the left margin, the reverse of what is shown in the example above. Other types of indent formatting in word processing includes a hanging indent where all lines but the first are indented.

See also justify.

Vangie Beal
Vangie Beal
Vangie Beal is a freelance business and technology writer covering Internet technologies and online business since the late '90s.
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