noun phrase

noun

often capitalized N&P
: a phrase formed by a noun and all its modifiers and determiners
broadly : any syntactic element (such as a clause, clitic, pronoun, or zero element) with a noun's function (such as the subject of a verb or the object of a verb or preposition)
abbreviation NP

Examples of noun phrase in a Sentence

In the sentence “I found the owner of the dog,” “the owner of the dog” is a noun phrase.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
On top of that sequence, there's a structure, a syntactic tree that includes noun phrases and verb phrases. IEEE Spectrum, 14 Oct. 2021 The first phrase is an appositive—typically a noun or noun phrase that modifies another noun or noun phrase, which appears next to it in the sentence. David Owen, The New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2023 Meanwhile, a two-year-old child tested alongside Kanzi quickly intuits that two nouns can make up a noun phrase, tucked as a direct object into a verb phrase, which in turn is part of a sentence. The Economist, 22 Aug. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of noun phrase was in 1884

Dictionary Entries Near noun phrase

Cite this Entry

“Noun phrase.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/noun%20phrase. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

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