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    Noun Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

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    The document defines and explains what a noun is in English grammar. It discusses different types of nouns such as common and proper nouns, count and mass nouns, and collective nouns. Examples are provided to illustrate each concept. The document also provides the etymology and history of the word noun.

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    Noun Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

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    aimarylorenzoizquierdo
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    The document defines and explains what a noun is in English grammar. It discusses different types of nouns such as common and proper nouns, count and mass nouns, and collective nouns. Examples are provided to illustrate each concept. The document also provides the etymology and history of the word noun.

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    The document defines and explains what a noun is in English grammar. It discusses different types of nouns such as common and proper nouns, count and mass nouns, and collective nouns. Examples are provided to illustrate each concept. The document also provides the etymology and history of the word noun.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as pdf or txt
    13 views16 pages

    Noun Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

    Uploaded by

    aimarylorenzoizquierdo
    The document defines and explains what a noun is in English grammar. It discusses different types of nouns such as common and proper nouns, count and mass nouns, and collective nouns. Examples are provided to illustrate each concept. The document also provides the etymology and history of the word noun.

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    noun

    Definition Did you know? Example Sentences

    noun noun
    ˈnau̇n

    Synonyms of noun

    : 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.
    :
    Did you know?

    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.
    :
    Examples of noun in a Sentence

    Recent Examples on the Web

    The word wasn’t used as a noun until the end of 12th century, right around the
    time that stories of St. Patrick’s Purgatory started gaining traction around the
    world.
    Lanta Davis and Vince Reighard, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Mar. 2024

    An essay, then, is both a noun and a verb, both an effort of interpretation as well
    as its result.
    Claire Salinda, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024

    See all Example Sentences for noun

    These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate
    current usage of the word 'noun.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent
    those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
    :
    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

    Time Traveler

    The first known use of noun was in the 14th century

    See more words from the same century

    Phrases Containing noun

    verbal noun count noun

    noun phrase collective noun

    proper noun noncount noun

    mass noun common noun


    :
    Articles Related to noun

    Common and Proper Nouns: What's the...

    What is a Noun?

    8 Grammar Terms You Used to Know, But...

    Dictionary Entries Near noun

    noumenon
    noun
    nounal

    See More Nearby Entries


    :
    Cite this Entry

    Style MLA

    “Noun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.m


    erriam-webster.com/dictionary/noun. Accessed 2 Apr. 2024.
    Copy Citation

    Share

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    Kids Definition

    noun
    :
    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

    More from Merriam-Webster on noun

    Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for noun


    Nglish: Translation of noun for Spanish Speakers
    Britannica English: Translation of noun for Arabic Speakers
    Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about noun

    Last Updated: 21 Mar 2024 - Updated example sentences


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