name
Americannoun
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names
plural
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a word or a combination of words by which a person, place, or thing, a body or class, or any object of thought is designated, called, or known.
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mere designation, as distinguished from fact.
He was a king in name only.
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an appellation, title, or epithet, applied descriptively, in honor, abuse, etc.
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a reputation of a particular kind given by common opinion.
to protect one's good name.
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a distinguished, famous, or great reputation; fame.
to make a name for oneself.
- Synonyms:
- eminence, renown, distinction, note
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a widely known or famous person; celebrity.
She's a name in show business.
- Synonyms:
- personality
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an unpleasant or derogatory appellation or expression.
Don't call your brother names! Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me.
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a personal or family name as exercising influence or bringing distinction.
With that name they can get a loan at any bank in town.
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a body of persons grouped under one name, as a family or clan.
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the verbal or other symbolic representation of a thing, event, property, relation, or concept.
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(initial capital letter) a symbol or vehicle of divinity.
to take the Name in vain; the power of the Name.
verb (used with object)
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names,
present (3rd person singular)
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named,
past participle, past
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naming
present participle
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to give a name to.
to name a baby.
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to accuse.
He was named as the thief.
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to call by an epithet.
They named her speedy.
- Synonyms:
- denominate, dub, nickname
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to identify, specify, or mention by name.
Three persons were named in the report.
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to designate for some duty or office; nominate or appoint.
I have named you for the position.
- Synonyms:
- choose
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Name a price.
- Synonyms:
- mention
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to give the name of.
Can you name the capital of Ohio?
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to speak of.
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British. (in the House of Commons) to cite (a member) for contempt.
adjective
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famous; widely known.
a name author.
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designed for or carrying a name.
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giving its name or title to a collection or anthology containing it.
the name piece.
idioms
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name names, to specify people by name, especially those who have been accomplices in a misdeed.
The witness in the bribery investigation threatened to name names.
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call names, to scold or speak abusively of or to a person.
Better not to call names unless one is larger and considerably stronger than one's adversary.
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by name,
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personally; individually.
She was always careful to address every employee by name.
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not personally; by repute.
I know him by name only.
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to one's name, in one's possession.
I haven't a penny to my name.
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in the name of,
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with appeal to.
In the name of mercy, stop that screaming!
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by the authority of.
Open, in the name of the law!
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on behalf of.
to purchase something in the name of another.
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under the name or possession of.
money deposited in the name of a son.
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under the designation or excuse of.
murder in the name of justice.
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noun
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a word or term by which a person or thing is commonly and distinctively known
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mere outward appearance or form as opposed to fact (esp in the phrase in name )
he was a ruler in name only
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a word, title, or phrase descriptive of character, usually abusive or derogatory
to call a person names
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reputation, esp, if unspecified, good reputation
he's made quite a name for himself
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a famous person or thing
a name in the advertising world
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( as modifier )
a name product
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a member of Lloyd's who provides part of the capital of a syndicate and shares in its profits or losses but does not arrange its business
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using as a name
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for the sake of
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by the sanction or authority of
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to have heard of without having met
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anything that is essential, significant, or important
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expected or normal conditions, circumstances, etc
in gambling, losing money's the name of the game
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belonging to one
I haven't a penny to my name
verb
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to give a name to; call by a name
she named the child Edward
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to refer to by name; cite
he named three French poets
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to determine, fix, or specify
they have named a date for the meeting
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to appoint to or cite for a particular title, honour, or duty; nominate
he was named Journalist of the Year
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to ban (an MP) from the House of Commons by mentioning him formally by name as being guilty of disorderly conduct
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to reveal the identity of a person or organization guilty of illegal or unacceptable behaviour in order to embarrass them into not repeating the offence
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to cite people, esp in order to blame or accuse them
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to choose the day for one's wedding
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whatever you need, mention, etc
Synonym Usage
Name, title both refer to the label by which a person is known. Name is the simpler and more general word for appellation: The name is John. A title is an official or honorary term bestowed on a person or the specific designation of a book, article, etc.: He now has the title of Doctor. Treasure Island is the title of a book.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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namernoun
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undernamenoun
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renameverb (used with object)
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namableadjective
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self-namedadjective
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undernamedadjective
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well-namedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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namesimple
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namessimple
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have namedperfect
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has namedperfect
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am namingprogressive
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are namingprogressive
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is namingprogressive
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have been namingperfect progressive
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has been namingperfect progressive
Past
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namedsimple
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had namedperfect
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was namingprogressive
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were namingprogressive
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had been namingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of name
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English nama; cognate with German Name, Gothic namô; akin to Old Norse nafn, Latin nōmen, Greek ónoma, Old Irish ainm, Polish imię, Czech jméno
Explanation
Your name is what you are called: Bill or Jennifer or whatever. Parents name their children, and children name their pets. Most of us have our first given name and our family name or surname. But name is also used more broadly: people who have made a name for themselves are well-known. Someone who calls us names makes fun of us. If you do something wrong that others find out about, you could give yourself a bad name — hurt your reputation. Someone can be named in a lawsuit or named to a committee. Naming is about identity — who you are.
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:
The buyer’s shipping information included the word “SCAN” in the name.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
Miles said he was grateful the truth mattered, even after all these years, but that he wishes more than anything his dad were alive to see his name cleared.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
"As such, I respectfully ask you in the name of football to reconsider your attendance as it will unfortunately undermine the technical nature of this important youth development activity."
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Once when young, Sorcinelli met the former Robert Prevost -- the birth name of Pope Leo -- then just an Augustinian priest, but the men have not spoken since, he said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
His own name, Don Alonso, didn't seem good enough for a knight.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
These included semaglutide, sold under the brand names Ozempic or Wegovy, and tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro and Zepbound.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
There’s so many top pitchers I’ve seen before they were household names.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
These include startups that have become household names, like Anthropic and OpenAI, as well as the research arms of established tech firms like Alphabet’s Google.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
"They were so sought after, they were names that would hit the press and command attention right away," says Stacy Jones, chief executive of Hollywood Branded, a marketing and PR agency.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
“You said that thirty-four names was too many, that it was scattershot. But we still haven’t been exactly scientific.”
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Requests for comment from representatives for Sheridan, Paramount and NBCUniversal, all among those named as defendants in the lawsuit, were not immediately returned on Saturday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
It is named after a road in a historic area near Louisville.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
The exhibition, named Nature and Us, is part of a transformation project called NHM150, which aims to open a new or revamped showcase every year until the museum's 150th anniversary in 2031.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
But he knew the late owner personally, a customer named Tom, and “I know Tom would not want that book sent to the guillotine,” Brown told The Journal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
Every Saturday, Timber, King, Bob, and a girl named Picnic_ant gather at a local restaurant or cafe to eat and play games.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Zuckerberg has shown interest in classical history, even naming his daughters after Roman emperors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
Modern taxonomy, the science of naming and classifying organisms, increasingly attempts to reflect actual evolutionary relationships by grouping species according to shared ancestry.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
So that would give Maresca some flexibility when naming a team - and means Anderson and Fernandez would be capable of playing together.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
I am comfortable naming him as the owner because public records confirmed this fact, even though at one point he told me he didn’t want to be identified in this story.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
Long before Garfield and his family boarded the train from Mentor to Washington a few days earlier, he had toiled over naming his cabinet members.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
