mass noun

American  

[mas noun] / ˈmæs ˈnaʊn /

noun

Grammar.

1. a noun, as sunshine, electricity, or happiness, that typically refers to an indefinitely divisible substance or an abstract notion, and that in English cannot be used, in such a sense, with the indefinite article or in the plural.

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mass noun British  

noun

1. a noun that refers to an extended substance rather than to each of a set of isolable objects, as, for example, water as opposed to lake. In English when used indefinitely they are characteristically preceded by some rather than a or an; they do not have normal plural forms Compare count noun

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Etymology

Origin of mass noun

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Also as a mass noun: the style of music or fashion associated with this movement.

From Time

Or should that be traded in "bitcoins"? Standard usage is still being worked out, so for now, "bitcoin" appears both as an uncountable mass noun and a countable unit.

From The Wall Street Journal

An example of data used as a mass noun is, “Data is increasing at an incredible rate.”

From Forbes