plural

American  

[ploor-uhl] / ˈplʊər əl /

adjective

1. consisting of, containing, or pertaining to more than one.

2. pertaining to or involving a plurality of persons or things.

3. being one of such a plurality.

4. Grammar. noting or pertaining to a member of the category of number, found in many languages, indicating that a word has more than one referent, as in English men, or more than two referents, as in Old English ge, meaning “you.”

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noun

Grammar.

1. the plural number.

2. a form in the plural.

plural British  

/ ˈplʊərəl /

adjective

1. containing, involving, or composed of more than one person, thing, item, etc

   a plural society

2. denoting a word indicating that more than one referent is being referred to or described

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noun

1. grammar

   1. the plural number

   2. a plural form

plural Cultural  

1. The grammatical category in nouns, pronouns, and verbs that refers to more than one thing. Most nouns become plural with the addition of -s or -es: hats, chairs, dishes, countries, and so on. Some nouns form the plural in other ways, as in children, feet, geese, and women. (Compare singular; see agreement.)

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Usage

What does plural mean? In grammar, a plural is a noun that refers to more than one. For example, the noun cats is the plural of the noun cat and means more than one cat.Plural also describes something that consists of, contains, or relates to more than one of something, as in A plural society is made up of more than one cultural group in which everyone practices their own culture.Example: The plural form of ox is oxen.

Other Word Forms

• plurally adverb

Etymology

Origin of plural

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin plūrālis, equivalent to plūr-, stem of plūs plus + -alis -al ¹

Example Sentences

It’s not about the song, but about the songs, as in plural, for most holiday revelers.

From MarketWatch

Antisemitism corrodes the civic foundations on which plural societies depend.

From The Wall Street Journal

The team keeping Duke out could be the Dukes—plural.

From The Wall Street Journal

The companies at the heart of AI now are talking about years—plural—of major investments still ahead.

From The Wall Street Journal

The new title’s plural refers to the author’s constant themes, which aren’t surprising.

From Los Angeles Times