common noun

noun

: a noun that may occur with limiting modifiers (such as a or an, some, every, and my) and that designates any one of a class of beings or things

Examples of common noun in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Jacob believed that the capitalization of common nouns was an inorganic import and did away with it, a choice that inspired parodies in the German press. Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024 But perhaps even worse is the alternate fashion of just using common nouns as names, for example, Rust, Ruby, and Scheme. Stephen Cass, IEEE Spectrum, 5 Sep. 2023 Surprisingly, the team’s results suggest that at least 10 to 30 quantifiably different concept variants exist for even common nouns such as penguin. Simon Makin, Scientific American, 25 Apr. 2023 The word perpetua became a common noun for house helpers of priests after Manzoni used it as the name of a house helper in his novel. The New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2022 His proper name would become a common noun, a contemptible exclamation and novel profanity. Jack Hitt, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1561, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of common noun was in 1561

Dictionary Entries Near common noun

Cite this Entry

“Common noun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/common%20noun. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

common noun

noun
: a noun (as chair or fear) that names a class of persons or things or any individual of a class
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