common noun

noun

: a noun that may occur with limiting modifiers (such as a or an, some, every, and my) and that designates any one of a class of beings or things

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

The word perpetua became a common noun for house helpers of priests after Manzoni used it as the name of a house helper in his novel. —The New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2022

His proper name would become a common noun, a contemptible exclamation and novel profanity. —Jack Hitt, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2019

His landscapes are a litany of primary colors and common nouns: blue sky, green grass. —Garth Risk Hallberg, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1561, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

common noun

noun

: a noun (as chair or fear) that names a class of persons or things or any individual of a class