nom de plume

\ ˌnäm-di-ˈplüm

How to pronounce nom de plume (audio)

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plural noms de plume\ ˌnäm(z)-di-ˈplüm

How to pronounce noms de plume (audio)

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Definition of nom de plume

: a name that a writer uses instead of his or her real name : pseudonym, pen name Under her nom de plume, [Stacey] Abrams, 44, has published eight romantic thrillers …— Dartunorro Clark A woman's name on a book practically guarantees marginalization—which is why so many geniuses, from the Brontë sisters to George Sand and George Eliot, chose to use male noms de plume.— Erica Jong

Examples of nom de plume in a Sentence

He wrote under a nom de plume.

Recent Examples on the Web After finding little success writing travel letters under the nom de plume Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass, Clemens left Cincinnati in February 1857 bound for New Orleans and en route learned how to navigate steamboats on the Mississippi River. — Jeff Suess, Cincinnati.com, "Mark Twain vs. The Enquirer: 'I think the Cincinnati Enquirer must be edited by children'," 29 Jan. 2020 Somewhere between Ann Landers and Dan Savage lives Sugar, the nom de plume of the writer Cheryl Strayed who, between 2010 and 2012, wrote an advice column for The Rumpus, an online literary magazine. — Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, "‘Tiny Beautiful Things’ at Victory Gardens is about an advice columnist — and might just solve your problems," 15 Sep. 2019 Natalia’s first novel appeared, in 1942, under a nom de plume, because Mussolini’s racial laws forbade Jews to publish books. — Joan Acocella, The New Yorker, "Rediscovering Natalia Ginzburg," 22 July 2019 In the throes of writing and daydreaming about the perfect nom de plume, my illustrations were also coming to life. — Haley Moss, Teen Vogue, "Telling My High School Class That I'm Autistic Is the Best Thing I've Ever Done," 12 Apr. 2019 Other examples include the philosopher David Lewis, who published a response to one of his own papers under the nom de plume Bruce Le Catt. — Ars Technica, "The Journal of Controversial Ideas—academic freedom sans responsibility is reckless," 25 Nov. 2018 Or so says the website dedicated to her nom de plume, Selena Montgomery. — Nicola Pardy, refinery29.com, "Stacey Abrams’ Alter Ego Might Be The Key To Winning Georgia’s Election," 25 May 2018 Generations of big league players were known strictly by colorful, descriptive or ironic nom de plumes. — Roy Bragg, San Antonio Express-News, "Great baseball nicknames now seen only once in a Blue Moon (Odom)," 4 Mar. 2018 Rising British musician Grace Shelley -- who records under the nom de plume Tyne -- makes passionate, minimal pop music that pulls influence from Frank Ocean and Purity Ring. — Chris Payne, Billboard, "Rising UK Electro-Pop Artist Tyne Brings Hope to a Lover in 'I'd Like That' Video: Premiere," 21 Feb. 2018

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

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Cite this Entry

“Nom de plume.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nom%20de%20plume. Accessed 8 Aug. 2020.

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