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noun
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\ ˈnau̇n \

Definition of noun
: any member of a class of words that typically can be combined with determiners (see
determiner sense b) to serve as the subject of a verb, can be interpreted as singular or plural,
can be replaced with a pronoun, and refer to an entity, quality, state, action, or concept There
are two nouns in this sentence.
What is a noun? More Example Sentences Learn More about noun

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What is a noun?
Nouns make up the largest class of words in most languages, including English. A noun is a
word that refers to a thing (book), a person (Betty Crocker), an animal (cat), a place (Omaha), a
quality (softness), an idea (justice), or an action (yodeling). It's usually a single word, but not
always: cake, shoes, school bus, and time and a half are all nouns.

There are a number of different categories of nouns.

There are common nouns and proper nouns. A common noun refers to a person, place, or thing
but is not the name of a particular person, place, or thing. Examples are animal, sunlight, and
happiness. A proper noun is the name of a particular person, place, or thing; it usually begins
with a capital letter: Abraham Lincoln, Argentina, and World War I are all proper nouns.

A collective noun is a noun that names a group of people or things, such as flock or squad. It's
sometimes unclear whether the verb for a collective noun should be singular or plural. In the
United States, such nouns as company, team, herd, public, and class, as well as the names of
companies, teams, etc., are treated as singular, but in the United Kingdom they are often
treated as plural: (US) "The team has been doing well this season." vs. (British) "The team have
been doing well this season."

Gerunds are nouns that are identical to the present participle (-ing form) of a verb, as in "I enjoy
swimming more than running."

An attributive noun is a noun that modifies another noun that immediately follows it, such as
business in business meeting. These nouns look like adjectives but they're not.

For learners of English, the most important feature of a noun is whether it can be counted. A
count noun is a noun that can be used after a or an or after a number (or another word that
means "more than one"). Count nouns have both singular and plural forms and can be used
with both singular and plural verb forms, as with the word letter in "A letter for you is on the
table. Letters for you arrive regularly." Sometimes the plural form of a count noun is the same
as its singular form, as in "I saw a deer in my yard yesterday. There are a lot of deer in the
woods near my house."

A mass noun (or noncount noun) refers to something that cannot be counted. Mass nouns are
normally not used after the words a or an or after a number. They have only one form and are
used with singular verb forms, as in "Portuguese is one of the languages they speak," and "The
information was unclear."

Some nouns are not count or mass nouns. Nouns which only ever refer to one thing are called
singular nouns: "Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun," "We heard a terrible din in the alley."
And a plural noun refers to more than one person or thing, or sometimes to something that has
two main parts. Plural nouns have only one form and are used with plural verb forms:
"Townspeople are invited to a forum on the project," "These scissors are dull."

A particular noun can have any or all of these kinds of uses.

(count) I've read that book several times.

(mass) Time seemed to stop when I saw him for the first time.

(singular) The time is 3:22.

(plural) Fuel costs three times as much as it did five years ago.

Examples of noun in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The overenthusiastic guest lecturer who constructs a lengthy and
banal presentation out of a series of random nouns. — The Economist, "Bartleby Play’s the
thing," 25 Apr. 2020 Today's word of the day: Byeowa [by-i-oh-wah] noun 1. — Ashley Shaffer,
USA TODAY, "Behold, the self-declared winner of Iowa," 6 Feb. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to
reflect current usage of the word 'noun.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the
opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for noun

Middle English nowne, from Anglo-French nom, noun name, noun, from Latin nomen — more at
name

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Time Traveler for noun

The first known use of noun was in the 14th century
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From the Editors at Merriam-Webster

8 Grammar Terms You Used to Know, But...

8 Grammar Terms You Used to Know, But Forgot

Plus yodeling

Nouns That Look Like Adjectives

Nouns That Look Like Adjectives

Can a noun really describe another noun?

Dictionary Entries near noun

noumenalism

noumenalist

noumenon

noun

nounal

noun equivalent

noun of multitude

See More Nearby Entries 

Phrases Related to noun

collective noun

Statistics for noun

Last Updated

14 May 2020

Look-up Popularity

Top 1% of lookups

Cite this Entry

“Noun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com

/dictionary/noun. Accessed 14 May. 2020.

Style: MLA

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More Definitions for noun

noun

noun

English Language Learners Definition of noun

: a word that is the name of something (such as a person, animal, place, thing, quality, idea, or
action) and is typically used in a sentence as subject or object of a verb or as object of a
preposition

See the full definition for noun in the English Language Learners Dictionary

noun

noun
\ ˈnau̇n \

Kids Definition of noun

: a word or phrase that is the name of something (as a person, place, or thing) and that is used
in a sentence especially as subject or object of a verb or as object of a preposition

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More from Merriam-Webster on noun

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with noun

Spanish Central: Translation of noun

Nglish: Translation of noun for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of noun for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about noun

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