noun phrase

American  

noun

Grammar.

noun phrases plural

1. a construction that functions syntactically as a noun, consisting of a noun and any modifiers, as all the men in the room who are reading books, or of a noun substitute, as a pronoun.

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noun phrase British  

noun

1.  NP.  grammar a constituent of a sentence that consists of a noun and any modifiers it may have a noun clause, or a word, such as a pronoun, that takes the place of a noun

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• noun phrases
  plural

Etymology

Origin of noun phrase

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

noun phrase

But the majority explained “the noun ‘election’ must be distinguished from the noun phrase ‘election day’.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026

Problem: “A feeling of accomplishment” is a noun phrase followed by a linking verb.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 21, 2021

PoetiX asked for systems able to produce “humanlike” sonnets in response to a noun phrase prompt.

From Slate ● Jul. 11, 2017

It’s because “to greenlight” was formed anew from a noun phrase, “a green light”.

From Economist ● Sep. 22, 2016

To start with, the fact that like is a preposition, which typically takes a noun phrase complement, does not mean that it may not take a clausal complement as well.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker