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  • an
    an
    indefinite article
    the form of a before an initial vowel sound (an arch; an honor ) and sometimes, especially in British English, before an initial unstressed syllable beginning with a silent or weakly pronounced h .
  • An
    An
    noun
    the Sumerian god of heaven: the counterpart of the Akkadian Anu.
  • AN
    AN
    abbreviation
  • an-
    an-
    a prefix occurring before stems beginning with a vowel or h in loanwords from Greek, where it means “not,” “without,” “lacking” (anarchy; anecdote ); used in the formation of compound words.
  • -an
    -an
    a suffix occurring originally in adjectives borrowed from Latin, formed from nouns denoting places (Roman; urban ) or persons (Augustan ), and now productively forming English adjectives by extension of the Latin pattern. Attached to geographic names, it denotes provenance or membership (American; Chicagoan; Tibetan ), the latter sense now extended to membership in social classes, religious denominations, etc., in adjectives formed from various kinds of noun bases (Episcopalian; pedestrian; Puritan; Republican ) and membership in zoological taxa (acanthocephalan; crustacean ). Attached to personal names, it has the additional senses “contemporary with” (Elizabethan; Jacobean ) or “proponent of ” (Hegelian; Freudian ) the person specified by the noun base. The suffix -an, and its variant -ian also occurs in a set of personal nouns, mainly loanwords from French, denoting one who engages in, practices, or works with the referent of the base noun (comedian; grammarian; historian; theologian ); this usage is especially productive with nouns ending in -ic (electrician; logician; technician ). See -ian for relative distribution with that suffix.
  • an.
    an.
    abbreviation
    in the year.
  • A.N.
    A.N.
    abbreviation
    Anglo-Norman.
Synonyms

an

1 American  
[uhn, an] / ən, æn /

indefinite article

  1. the form of a before an initial vowel sound (an arch; an honor ) and sometimes, especially in British English, before an initial unstressed syllable beginning with a silent or weakly pronounced h .

    an historian.


an 2 American  
[uhn, an] / ən, æn /
Also an',

conjunction

  1. Informal. and.

  2. Archaic. if.


An 3 American  
[ahn] / ɑn /

noun

  1. the Sumerian god of heaven: the counterpart of the Akkadian Anu.


An 4 American  
Symbol, Chemistry.
  1. actinon.


AN 5 American  
Or A.-N.

abbreviation

  1. Anglo-Norman.


an- 6 American  
  1. a prefix occurring before stems beginning with a vowel or h in loanwords from Greek, where it means “not,” “without,” “lacking” (anarchy; anecdote ); used in the formation of compound words.

    anelectric.


an- 7 American  
  1. variant of ad- before n: announce.


an- 8 American  
  1. variant of ana- before a vowel.

    anion.


-an 9 American  
  1. a suffix occurring originally in adjectives borrowed from Latin, formed from nouns denoting places (Roman; urban ) or persons (Augustan ), and now productively forming English adjectives by extension of the Latin pattern. Attached to geographic names, it denotes provenance or membership (American; Chicagoan; Tibetan ), the latter sense now extended to membership in social classes, religious denominations, etc., in adjectives formed from various kinds of noun bases (Episcopalian; pedestrian; Puritan; Republican ) and membership in zoological taxa (acanthocephalan; crustacean ). Attached to personal names, it has the additional senses “contemporary with” (Elizabethan; Jacobean ) or “proponent of ” (Hegelian; Freudian ) the person specified by the noun base. The suffix -an, and its variant -ian also occurs in a set of personal nouns, mainly loanwords from French, denoting one who engages in, practices, or works with the referent of the base noun (comedian; grammarian; historian; theologian ); this usage is especially productive with nouns ending in -ic (electrician; logician; technician ). See -ian for relative distribution with that suffix.


an. 10 American  

abbreviation

  1. in the year.


A.N. 11 American  

abbreviation

  1. Anglo-Norman.

  2. Associate in Nursing.


-an 1 British  

suffix

  1. (forming adjectives and nouns) belonging to or relating to; a person belonging to or coming from

    European

  2. (forming adjectives and nouns) typical of or resembling; a person typical of

    Elizabethan

  3. (forming adjectives and nouns) adhering to or following; an adherent of

    Christian

  4. (forming nouns) a person who specializes or is expert in

    dietitian

    phonetician

"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

An 2 British  
/ ɑːn /

noun

  1. Babylonian counterpart: Anu. myth the Sumerian sky god

"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

An 3 British  

symbol

  1. actinon

"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

AN 4 British  

abbreviation

  1. Anglo-Norman

"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

an 5 British  
/ æn, ən /

determiner

  1. a form of the indefinite article used before an initial vowel sound

    an old car

    an elf

    an honour

"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

an 6 British  
/ æn, ən /

conjunction

  1. (subordinating) an obsolete or dialect word for if See and

"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

an 7 British  

abbreviation

  1. Netherlands Antilles

"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

an- 8 British  

prefix

  1. not; without

    anaphrodisiac

"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

Grammar

See a 1.

Usage

An was formerly often used before words that begin with h and are unstressed on the first syllable: an hotel ; an historic meeting . Sometimes the initial h was not pronounced. This usage is now becoming obsolete

Etymology

Origin of an1

before 950; Middle English; Old English ān one in a weakened sense

Origin of an2

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English, unstressed phonetic variant of and

Origin of an-6

< Greek. See a- 6, in- 3, un- 1

Origin of -an9

Middle English < Latin -ānus, -āna, -ānum; in some words replacing -ain, -en < Old French < Latin

Origin of an.10

From the Latin word annō

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:

Here’s an example of the same prompt presented to two Google models, the Gemini 3.1 Pro—generally used for tasks that require reasoning and judgment—and the less expensive, lighter, speedier Gemini 3 Flash.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

But Nacua’s penalty for an illegal block stymied the possession, and Stafford’s fourth-down pass for tight end Tyler Higbee fell incomplete.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

Andrew Jones is an keen triathlete but chasing those triathlon dreams has also meant running the risk of getting ill.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

The Rams had mostly had their fill of Philadelphia after losing an NFC divisional game here in 2024 and last year’s debacle that ended with the blocked field goal and touchdown.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

She is asked to sign an oath of secrecy and loyalty, which she does, without question.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

An app offering “advanced statistics” and video of at-bats was $191 a year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

An inconsolable Solberg remained in his car for some time at the end of the stage before being encouraged to take to the podium by Gazoo Racing team principal Jari-Matti Latvala and team-mate Ogier.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

An analysis from Dow Jones Market Data bears this out.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 4, 2026

An avid bowhunter, he shot 42 deer last year and hopes to take more this year.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

An exposé of Spiritualism appeared in the October 21, 1888, issue of the New York World.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

In her verdict, Judge AN Tse Ching relied in part on the messages exchanged after the encounter, according to the South China Morning Post, external.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

AutoNation AN -1.03%decrease; red down pointing triangle recorded higher third-quarter profit and sales as the company saw growth across all of its major categories, including new vehicles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025

THE SDC IS AN international smorgasbord of ideas and inspiration, but it is not Ikea.

From Seattle Times ● May 5, 2023

I have no idea if the figures in SBF’s Substack post are accurate; SBF himself labels them as “JUST AN ESTIMATE.”

From Slate ● Jan. 13, 2023

They screamed up at the bleachers: “GIMME AN E!”

From "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli

I just - I do have to say it’s an- it’s an absolutely great novel, and he was a great writer.

From Scientific American ● Apr. 20, 2023

For too many parents and their children, getting into a highly selective school isn’t just another challenge, just an- other goal.

From MSNBC ● Mar. 21, 2015

Brooks arrived at the restaurant along with Valerie Jamieson, an- other physics editor from New Scientist, who introduced herself with a melodic Scottish brogue.

From Scientific American ● Jan. 31, 2014

From top, the band Yuck was among those that appeared on the tour; Stephen Pope of Wavves, appropriately named, an- other cruise group; Lou Barlow, leaning back, playing with Sebadoh.

From New York Times ● Mar. 30, 2012

No one makes the connection that the an- cient Incans we’re studying—a civilization respected through- out the world for its technology and art and architecture—are Rosita’s ancestors.

From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau

That was what they sang for the next few months as they wound through college campuses and through the bus route from Saket -an old protestor's chant about azaadi, freedom.

From BBC ● Dec. 14, 2013

What the Bishops do have plenty of is "Bishopry" -an elusive but tensile esprit that makes them feel different, not to say unique.

From Time Magazine Archive

By then the space traveler is weightless -an unearthly state in which he may do himself injury with normal movements of his own muscles.

From Time Magazine Archive

Dumas once summed up his own significance: "I carry with me wherever I go - I don't know how it is, but it is so -an atmosphere of life and stir which has become proverbial."

From Time Magazine Archive

‘In the end,’ he whispered, ‘he summons -an elemental.’

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

Balogh's ideas are an. odd mixture of common sense and doctrinaire Pestering.

From Time Magazine Archive

With the Symphony for the last two springs "Doc" Davison's singers have given Bach's great B Minor Mass. With the Vassar Glee Club in Poughkeepsie this spring they made an. evening of Brahms's German Requiem.

From Time Magazine Archive

The result was published in an. edition of 300,000 copies in England last month.

From Time Magazine Archive

Although he is an effusive greeter, a vigorous handshaker and an. expert at the Indiana political massage,* he has a tendency toward bluntness.

From Time Magazine Archive

L, vertical section through the upper part of the flower, × 2. gy. pistil. p, pollen masses. an. stamen.

From Elements of Structural and Systematic Botany For High Schools and Elementary College Courses by Douglas Houghton Campbell

I put the turning point in the spring of 2009, when A.N.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025

A couple of decades later, Gottlob Frege with his "Begriffsshrift" and then Bertrand Russell and A.N.

From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2024

In his decades since scouting, A.N. says he’s experienced severe emotional trauma, including “shame, humiliation and loss of enjoyment of life.”

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 18, 2020

Of its droll notational style — canny observations yoked to a stream-of-consciousness method — A.N.

From New York Times ● Jan. 7, 2020

“But that was A.N. And I never liked it half as much as I like it with you.”

From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez

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