**`<dd>`** holds the actual explanation, value, or definition that corresponds to the `<dt>` term(s) immediately before it, and browsers indent it by default to visually associate it with its term. A single `<dt>` can be followed by multiple `<dd>` elements if the term has more than one distinct description or example.
1Understanding <dd>
`<dd>` holds the actual explanation, value, or definition that corresponds to the <dt> term(s) immediately before it, and browsers indent it by default to visually associate it with its term. A single <dt> can be followed by multiple <dd> elements if the term has more than one distinct description or example.
<dd> content isn't restricted to plain text — it can contain full block-level content like paragraphs, lists, or code blocks, making <dl> suitable for fairly rich glossary entries.
<dl>
<dt>Idempotent</dt>
<dd>An operation that produces the same result no matter how many times it's applied.</dd>
</dl>2Practical Example
Here is a real-world application of <dd> showing how it is used in production HTML.
<!-- A term with two distinct descriptions -->
<dl>
<dt>Cookie</dt>
<dd>A small piece of data stored by a website in the browser.</dd>
<dd>A baked sweet snack (unrelated meaning, just for illustration).</dd>
</dl>3Best Practices
Follow these guidelines when working with <dd>:
1. Keep each <dd> focused on describing the immediately preceding <dt>
2. Use multiple <dd> elements for a term with several distinct meanings/examples
3. Include richer content (lists, code, links) inside <dd> when a definition needs it
Tip: <dd> content isn't restricted to plain text — it can contain full block-level content like paragraphs, lists, or code blocks, making <dl> suitable for fairly rich glossary entries.
<dl>
<dt>Idempotent</dt>
<dd>An operation that produces the same result no matter how many times it's applied.</dd>
</dl>