noun

noun

ˈnau̇n 

: 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.

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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 (Noah Webster), 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.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

There were nouns, verbs, and even references to abstract concepts like time and feelings. —Dan Musgrave, Longreads, 9 May 2023

The team’s results show that even the plainest of nouns can invoke dozens of distinct concepts in individuals’ mind. —Simon Makin, Scientific American, 25 Apr. 2023

Attempting to keep up with not two but three Spanish speakers, with the addition of cast member Marcello Hernández, Yang threw together some nouns and verbs and hoped for the best. —Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 14 Apr. 2023

Under each blank, specify the part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, etc.) and let everyone fill in words of their choosing. —Alesandra Dubin, Good Housekeeping, 17 Mar. 2023

It's best played in pairs — as one person holds the book with the story prompts, ask another person for nouns, verbs, or adjectives to fill in the blanks. —Leah Campano, Seventeen, 22 Feb. 2023

It can be used as an adjective or noun. —Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 15 Apr. 2023

Ghost preparer, noun: a sketchy tax preparer. —Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2023

That’s one of many interesting tidbits Kenneth Maverick has learned through research into his great-great-great-grandfather, a land baron, whiskey distiller and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence whose famous spirit of independence bears the rare distinction of inspiring a noun. —Richard Webner, San Antonio Express-News, 31 Aug. 2022

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Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing noun

• common noun
• proper noun
• noun phrase
• mass noun
• count noun
• collective noun
• noncount noun
• verbal noun

• common noun
• proper noun
• noun phrase
• mass noun
• count noun
• collective noun
• noncount noun
• verbal noun

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Kids Definition

noun

noun

ˈnau̇n 

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