pronounce

[ pruh-nouns ]
See synonyms for: pronouncepronounced on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),pro·nounced, pro·nounc·ing.
  1. to enunciate or articulate (sounds, words, sentences, etc.).

  2. to utter or sound in a particular manner in speaking: He pronounces his words indistinctly.

  1. to utter or articulate in the accepted or correct manner: I can't pronounce this word.

  2. to declare (a person or thing) to be as specified: She pronounced it the best salmon she had ever tasted.

  3. to utter or deliver formally or solemnly: to pronounce sentence.

  4. to announce authoritatively or officially: The judge pronounced the defendant guilty.

  5. to indicate the pronunciation of (words) by providing a phonetic transcription: This dictionary pronounces most of the words entered.

verb (used without object),pro·nounced, pro·nounc·ing.
  1. to pronounce words, phrases, etc.

  2. to make a statement or assertion, especially an authoritative statement (often followed by on): He was required to pronounce on the findings of his research.

  1. to give an opinion or decision (usually followed by on): to pronounce on an important matter.

  2. to indicate the pronunciation of words: a spelling book that pronounces.

Origin of pronounce

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English pronouncen, from Middle French prononcier, from Latin prōnūntiāre “to proclaim, announce, recite, utter”; see pro-1, announce

Other words from pronounce

  • pro·nounce·a·ble, adjective
  • pro·nounce·a·ble·ness, noun
  • pro·nounc·er, noun
  • pre·pro·nounce, verb (used with object), pre·pro·nounced, pre·pro·nounc·ing.
  • un·pro·nounce·a·ble, adjective
  • un·pro·nounc·ing, adjective

Words that may be confused with pronounce

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use pronounce in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pronounce

pronounce

/ (prəˈnaʊns) /


verb
  1. to utter or articulate (a sound or sequence of sounds)

  2. (tr) to utter or articulate (sounds or words) in the correct way

  1. (tr; may take a clause as object) to proclaim officially and solemnly: I now pronounce you man and wife

  2. (when tr, may take a clause as object) to declare as one's judgment: to pronounce the death sentence upon someone

  3. (tr) to make a phonetic transcription of (sounds or words)

Origin of pronounce

1
C14: from Latin prōnuntiāre to announce, from pro- 1 + nuntiāre to announce

Derived forms of pronounce

  • pronounceable, adjective
  • pronouncer, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012