A statement is something you say or write that expresses a fact, opinion, or piece of information clearly and directly. When your teacher makes a statement about tomorrow's field trip, she's giving you definite information. When a witness makes a statement to the police about what she saw, she's declaring what happened as clearly as she can.

Statements are different from questions, which ask for information, or commands, which tell someone what to do. “The library closes at six o'clock” is a statement. “When does the library close?” is a question. “Close the library door” is a command.

In math, a statement is a sentence that's either true or false. “Seven times eight equals fifty-six” is a true statement. “All rectangles are squares” is a false statement (because while all squares are rectangles, not all rectangles are squares).

People sometimes make bold statements to express strong opinions, or official statements to announce important news. A bank statement shows your account activity. When someone says “That dress makes a statement,” they mean it expresses something distinctive about the person wearing it.

The key idea behind all these uses is that a statement puts something definite out into the world, clearly and openly, for others to consider.