nun

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈnən 

: a woman belonging to a religious order

especially : one under solemn vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience

nunlike

ˈnən-ˌlīk 

adjective

nun

2 of 2

noun (2)

ˈnu̇n 

: the 14th letter of the Hebrew alphabet see Alphabet Table

Examples of nun in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

An exuberant song-and-dance man, Brooks put everyone from nuns to aliens into musical numbers. — Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 26 June 2026

The Los Angeles Dodgers insulted their Catholic paying customers by honoring a drag group that parades around as nuns and mocks their religion. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026

The Catholic nun from Nigeria was released hours later after Democratic and Republican lawmakers intervened. — Arelis R. Hernández, Washington Post, 1 July 2026

Texas lawmakers help secure nun's release As news of Ugboaja's detention spread, members of southern Texas’ congressional delegation called for the nun's release. — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 2 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English nunne, from Late Latin nonna

Noun (2)

Hebrew nūn

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

circa 1567, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for nun

• bun
• done
• dun
• fun
• gun
• hun
• jun
• none
• one
• pun
• run
• shun

Kids Definition

nun

noun

ˈnən

: a woman belonging to a religious order

especially : one living under solemn vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience