nom de plume

noun

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\ ˌnäm-di-ˈplüm

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

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 all, the duo—better known under their collaborative nom de plume Rob and Mariel—are usually found preparing the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Gwen Stefani, Cara Delevingne, and Lily Collins for the most prestigious red carpets in Hollywood. — Liam Hess, Vogue, 7 May 2021 Over the past 21 years, Abrams has published eight romance novels under the nom de plume Selena Montgomery. — Rosalind Bentley, Star Tribune, 14 June 2021 His musical nom de plume comes from the name of a storied Jacobean-era house in Wales. — Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2021 The former Georgia state representative, gubernatorial candidate, and political powerhouse who helped turn Georgia blue is also a successful romance novelist with eight books penned under her nom de plume Selena Montgomery. — Elena Sheppard, Vogue, 8 Dec. 2020 This is a nom de plume, or pseudonym—like A. M. Barnard (a.k.a. Louisa May Alcott). — Lillian Stone, The New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2020 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, 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, 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, 22 July 2019

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 19 Jan. 2022.

Style: MLA

MLA