easy
River is a noun that names a kind of place.
What does Noun mean?
A noun is a word that names or refers to a person, place, thing, event, quality, or idea.
Dictionary definition
A noun is a word class used to refer to a person, place, animal, thing, event, substance, quality, or idea. Nouns can be common or proper, concrete or abstract, and countable or uncountable, and a noun or noun phrase can act as a subject, object, or complement in a sentence.
Example sentences
Noun in a sentence
medium
Kindness is an abstract noun because it names a quality rather than a physical object.
medium
In “Maya opened the window,” Maya is a proper noun and window is a common noun.
hard
The noun safety modifies barrier in the phrase “safety barrier.”
hard
Information is usually an uncountable noun in English, so writers say “some information,” not “an information.”
Writing practice
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Quick practice
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Practice the meaning of Noun
Answer three quick questions about its meaning and related words.
Question 1 of 3
Practice 1
What is a noun?
Nouns refer to many kinds of entities, including concrete things and abstract ideas.
Practice 2
Which word is an abstract noun in “Patience helped Leo wait calmly” ?
Patience is a noun that names a quality rather than a physical thing.
Practice 3
Choose the best word: In “The scientist recorded data,” scientist is the subject ____.
Scientist is a noun, and it functions as the subject of the sentence.
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Noun
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WordNoun.
Partnoun.
MeaningNoun means A noun is a word that names or refers to a person, place, thing, event, quality, or idea.
ExampleExample: River is a noun that names a kind of place.
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Synonyms
Words like Noun
naming wordA useful beginner classroom label, although nouns can refer without simply giving a name.
nominalA technical grammar term for a noun or for another form functioning like a noun; it is broader than noun in some analyses.
Antonym review
Does Noun have an opposite?
Noun has no direct antonym. Verb, adjective, and adverb are contrasting word classes, not opposites, and a single word can belong to different classes in different sentences.
Synonym practice
Want to practice noun synonyms in context? Try a Synonym Search question like "The word dog is a noun," then compare close word choices. Practice noun synonyms.
Word family
Noun word family
Base word
noun
noun
nouns
More than one noun.
adjective
nominal
Related to a noun or functioning as a noun; this is a technical grammar use.
verb
nominalize
To turn a word or phrase into a noun or noun-like form.
noun
nominalization
A noun formed from another word, or the process of forming it.
Related words
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Student support
Understand Noun
Hint for students
Look for the word or phrase that refers to a person, place, thing, event, quality, or idea.
Common mix-up
A noun is not simply any word for a physical thing, and it is not the opposite of a verb. Nouns can name ideas such as courage, and words such as paint or play can be nouns in one sentence and verbs in another.
Try it in class or at home
Sort twelve nouns into common or proper and concrete or abstract. Then place four of them into sentences as a subject, object, complement, or noun modifier and label each job.
Teacher prompt
Use the model sentence “Hope guided the team.” Which noun is abstract, and what job does each noun or noun phrase perform?
Word Wheel
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