pronounce
Americanverb (used with object)
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pronounces,
present (3rd person singular)
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pronounced,
past participle, past
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pronouncing
present participle
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to enunciate or articulate (sounds, words, sentences, etc.).
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to utter or sound in a particular manner in speaking.
He pronounces his words indistinctly.
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to utter or articulate in the accepted or correct manner.
I can't pronounce this word.
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to declare (a person or thing) to be as specified.
She pronounced it the best salmon she had ever tasted.
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to utter or deliver formally or solemnly.
to pronounce sentence.
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to announce authoritatively or officially.
The judge pronounced the defendant guilty.
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to indicate the pronunciation of (words) by providing a phonetic transcription.
This dictionary pronounces most of the words entered.
verb (used without object)
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pronounces,
present (3rd person singular)
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pronounced,
past participle, past
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pronouncing
present participle
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to pronounce words, phrases, etc.
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to make a statement or assertion, especially an authoritative statement (often followed byon ).
He was required to pronounce on the findings of his research.
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to give an opinion or decision (usually followed byon ).
to pronounce on an important matter.
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to indicate the pronunciation of words.
a spelling book that pronounces.
verb
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to utter or articulate (a sound or sequence of sounds)
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(tr) to utter or articulate (sounds or words) in the correct way
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(tr; may take a clause as object) to proclaim officially and solemnly
I now pronounce you man and wife
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(when tr, may take a clause as object) to declare as one's judgment
to pronounce the death sentence upon someone
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(tr) to make a phonetic transcription of (sounds or words)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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pronounceablenessnoun
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pronouncernoun
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prepronounceverb (used with object)
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pronounceableadjective
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unpronounceableadjective
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unpronouncingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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pronouncesimple
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pronouncessimple
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have pronouncedperfect
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has pronouncedperfect
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am pronouncingprogressive
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are pronouncingprogressive
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is pronouncingprogressive
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have been pronouncingperfect progressive
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has been pronouncingperfect progressive
Past
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pronouncedsimple
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had pronouncedperfect
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was pronouncingprogressive
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were pronouncingprogressive
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had been pronouncingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pronounce
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English pronouncen, from Middle French prononcier, from Latin prōnūntiāre “to proclaim, announce, recite, utter”; see pro- 1, announce
Explanation
If you have a teacher who asks the class to call him "Mr. B," it's probably because his name is really hard to pronounce. When you pronounce a word, you sound it out. When you say something in a particular way, you pronounce it. The verb pronounce has another meaning, too — "to declare formally." It's not too different from announcing something, but it implies something more official and solemn — just think of the phrase "I now pronounce you husband and wife."
Vocabulary lists containing pronounce
50 Words from Jane Austen's "Pride & Prejudice"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Excerpt from "Oedipus Rex"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I don’t care if it contains added MSG and holds a laundry list of seasonings you can’t pronounce.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
Otherwise, juries lacking scientific or regulatory training could be asked to pronounce whether billion-dollar research-and-development choices were “reasonable” years after the fact.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
Whenever I tried to pronounce certain words, my vocal cords spasmed apart.
From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2026
"This chapel came up in north Wales, in a place I couldn't pronounce, which I can pronounce now... we both can."
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026
“Just make sure you pronounce every word correctly.”
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
One of his sons pronounces the name "Hit-lay", in order to escape embarrassment, and his grandchildren have taken their mothers' names.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026
He pronounces the name of Harry’s school nemesis, Draco Malfoy, as Americans do: Mal-foy rather than Mal-foy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025
He’s a charming voice actor, and she pronounces every word through her nostrils, so they balance each other out better than any other couple on the show.
From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2025
“What is real and what is not real is my business,” she pronounces, having bent the world to her will.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 27, 2024
She pronounces this word in a mocking drawl, to show that it’s the sort of word she herself has outgrown.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
Instead, some people may experience pronounced signs of aging while also retaining biological traits that help protect against many of its harmful consequences.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026
Increases in 10-year and 30-year yields were more pronounced as investor disappointment over the size of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s repurchase program continued.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
A 58-year-old woman, who was driving a Hyundai i30 was pronounced dead at the scene.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
The attendee, who has not been identified, was taken to the festival’s on-site emergency care center where he was pronounced dead, the Burning Man Project said in a Thursday statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
Here was my own pet lunatic—the most pronounced of his type that I had ever met with—talking elemental philosophy, and with the manner of a polished gentleman.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
New England is ready to absorb Scotland as its seventh state as soon as the Scots agree to stop pronouncing their r’s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
The meeting was hailed as a massive success with both of them exchanging hats and autographs, and the president pronouncing his Colombian counterpart as “terrific.”
From Salon ● Feb. 5, 2026
Could his trouble pronouncing acetaminophen be a phonemic paraphasic error?
From Slate ● Jan. 26, 2026
"When the institution tried to correct this, it felt like being told you're pronouncing your mate's name wrong."
From BBC ● Nov. 26, 2025
She rustled through the tissue pages of the Bible until she reached a certain passage and began reading, pronouncing the words aloud with painful concentration.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
