Definition of Noun:: Any Member of A Class of Words That Typically Can Be Combined With Determiners (See

noun
noun
\ˈnau̇n \
Definition 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.
What is a noun? More Example Sentences Learn More about noun
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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 (Betty Crocker), 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
In March, a woman lost a lawsuit against the German bank Sparkasse for the right to be
addressed using female-only nouns.— Austin Davis, USA TODAY, "#MeToo movement
targets German language as sexist," 9 July 2018 Young’s final bake (bake is a noun on
these shows) was his version of the ultimate chocolate cake, a towering creation featuring
three kinds of chocolate, crispy coconut praline, and massive dark chocolate flowers.—
BostonGlobe.com, "A pastry pilgrimage to sample sweets from Food Network
competitors," 6 July 2018

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noun

What is a noun? More Example Sentences Learn More about noun

Keep scrolling for more

There are a number of different categories of nouns.

A particular noun can have any or all of these kinds of uses.

(count) I've read that book several times.

(singular) The time is 3:22.

Examples of noun in a Sentence

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