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definite article

noun Grammar.

an article, as English the, that classes as identified or definite the noun it modifies.

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Nearby words

  1. definiendum,
  2. definiens,
  3. defining,
  4. defining moment,
  5. definite,
  6. definite description,
  7. definite integral,
  8. definite relative clause,
  9. definite relative pronoun,
  10. definitely

Origin of definite article

First recorded in 1755–65
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for definite article

definite article

noun

grammar a determiner that expresses specificity of reference, such as the in EnglishCompare indefinite article
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
Culture definitions for definite article

definite article

The word the; the article that precedes names of specific items: “the dog,” “the boats,” “the heavy anchor.” (Compare indefinite article.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.