pronounce
Americanverb (used with object)
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pronounces,
present (3rd person singular)
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pronounced,
past participle, past
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pronouncing
present participle
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to enunciate or articulate (sounds, words, sentences, etc.).
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to utter or sound in a particular manner in speaking.
He pronounces his words indistinctly.
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to utter or articulate in the accepted or correct manner.
I can't pronounce this word.
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to declare (a person or thing) to be as specified.
She pronounced it the best salmon she had ever tasted.
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to utter or deliver formally or solemnly.
to pronounce sentence.
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to announce authoritatively or officially.
The judge pronounced the defendant guilty.
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to indicate the pronunciation of (words) by providing a phonetic transcription.
This dictionary pronounces most of the words entered.
verb (used without object)
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pronounces,
present (3rd person singular)
-
pronounced,
past participle, past
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pronouncing
present participle
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to pronounce words, phrases, etc.
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to make a statement or assertion, especially an authoritative statement (often followed byon ).
He was required to pronounce on the findings of his research.
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to give an opinion or decision (usually followed byon ).
to pronounce on an important matter.
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to indicate the pronunciation of words.
a spelling book that pronounces.
verb
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to utter or articulate (a sound or sequence of sounds)
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(tr) to utter or articulate (sounds or words) in the correct way
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(tr; may take a clause as object) to proclaim officially and solemnly
I now pronounce you man and wife
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(when tr, may take a clause as object) to declare as one's judgment
to pronounce the death sentence upon someone
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(tr) to make a phonetic transcription of (sounds or words)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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pronounceablenessnoun
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pronouncernoun
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prepronounceverb (used with object)
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pronounceableadjective
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unpronounceableadjective
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unpronouncingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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pronouncesimple
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pronouncessimple
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have pronouncedperfect
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has pronouncedperfect
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am pronouncingprogressive
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are pronouncingprogressive
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is pronouncingprogressive
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have been pronouncingperfect progressive
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has been pronouncingperfect progressive
Past
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pronouncedsimple
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had pronouncedperfect
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was pronouncingprogressive
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were pronouncingprogressive
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had been pronouncingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pronounce
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English pronouncen, from Middle French prononcier, from Latin prōnūntiāre “to proclaim, announce, recite, utter”; see pro- 1, announce
Explanation
If you have a teacher who asks the class to call him "Mr. B," it's probably because his name is really hard to pronounce. When you pronounce a word, you sound it out. When you say something in a particular way, you pronounce it. The verb pronounce has another meaning, too — "to declare formally." It's not too different from announcing something, but it implies something more official and solemn — just think of the phrase "I now pronounce you husband and wife."
Vocabulary lists containing pronounce
50 Words from Jane Austen's "Pride & Prejudice"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Excerpt from "Oedipus Rex"
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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
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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:
“Many politicians nowadays think that history is a subject for old professors and not something which is absolutely basic, whether to negotiate or to pronounce yourself.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
I asked a few experts in the history of nationalism to pronounce on America’s relative longevity, and discovered that the answer to this question is surprisingly complicated.
From Slate ● Jul. 4, 2026
The amateur wine enthusiast learns to pronounce “gewürztraminer” and cannot resist doing so.
From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026
"This chapel came up in north Wales, in a place I couldn't pronounce, which I can pronounce now... we both can."
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026
Should her son have an American name, something easy for his teachers and classmates to pronounce?
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
One of his sons pronounces the name "Hit-lay", in order to escape embarrassment, and his grandchildren have taken their mothers' names.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026
“The depths of his self-delusion are staggering,” Mr. Hart pronounces.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 1, 2025
He’s a charming voice actor, and she pronounces every word through her nostrils, so they balance each other out better than any other couple on the show.
From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2025
Valadao also rarely pronounces his last name with the nasal Portuguese ending akin to Vala-downg, Borges said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2024
She doesn’t speak French to the waiter, who is French himself, but the way she pronounces the items on the menu makes it clear that she is fluent.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
The policy is expected to provide greater support to home sales in smaller cities, where housing prices are generally lower and oversupply is more pronounced.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
"So far, the risks aren't as pronounced as we would see with a lot of other medications. It just seems quite prohibitive at this point."
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Paramedics attended but despite their resuscitation efforts he was pronounced dead just before 21:00 BST.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
That inflammation appeared to be especially pronounced in regions containing large numbers of dopamine-releasing neurons.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
Vaughan remained at Bigheart’s side for several hours, until he was pronounced dead.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
New England is ready to absorb Scotland as its seventh state as soon as the Scots agree to stop pronouncing their r’s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
The meeting was hailed as a massive success with both of them exchanging hats and autographs, and the president pronouncing his Colombian counterpart as “terrific.”
From Salon ● Feb. 5, 2026
Could his trouble pronouncing acetaminophen be a phonemic paraphasic error?
From Slate ● Jan. 26, 2026
"When the institution tried to correct this, it felt like being told you're pronouncing your mate's name wrong."
From BBC ● Nov. 26, 2025
He read it aloud, pronouncing each phrase of the sonnet with elaborate gestures.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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.
