proper noun

noun

plural proper nouns

: a noun (such as Seattle, Joyce, or Empire State Building) that designates a particular being or thing, does not take a limiting modifier, and is usually capitalized in English

called also proper name

I think I can safely say that no rational person is hubristic enough to type "Zbigniew Brzezinski" … without first checking the spelling of the name, but the number of less formidable-looking proper nouns that wind up misspelled in manuscripts … is vast.

—Benjamin Dreyer

Examples of proper noun in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The hospital morphs baby into a proper noun and, in doing so, quasi-anthropomorphizes it—human, sure, but on the cusp. —Erica Stern june 9, Literary Hub, 9 June 2025

To avoid this, instruct your AI tool to use sentence case, vary sentence structure, capitalize only proper nouns, be assertive, and craft unique introductions and conclusions. —Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025

Verify facts, stats, and proper nouns independently. —William Arruda, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025

Stephens’s writing leans hard on the proper nouns, as well as the fashion in-jokes. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 6 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for proper noun

• chinatown
• tumbledown
• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown

Kids Definition

proper noun

noun

: a noun that names a particular person, place, or thing