Common Noun - Definition with Examples

What is a Common Noun?

A noun is a word that refers to a person, animal, place, thing, or idea. Nouns are commonly grouped into two main categories i.e. proper nouns and common nouns.

A common noun gives a general name to a person, place, thing, or idea instead of identifying a specific one. For instance, country, student, vehicle, and bird are all common nouns. They refer to general types rather than particular names.

In contrast, proper nouns always begin with capital letters, such as Brazil, Ayesha, or Honda, because they name specific people, places, or brands. Common nouns are only capitalized at the start of a sentence or in titles.

Common nouns represent:

• Concrete objects — things you can see or touch (such as backpack, window)

• Collective terms — words for groups or sets (such as audience, crew)

• Abstract concepts — things you can think or feel but not physically touch (such as justice, imagination)

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Common Noun Definition

According to Merriam-Webster, a common noun is “a noun that may occur with limiting modifiers such as a, some, every, or my and that designates any one of a class of beings or things.”

The Cambridge Dictionary defines it as “a noun that is the name of a group of similar things, such as shoe or river, and not of a single person, place, or thing.”

Common Noun Definition for Kids

A common noun is a general word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. It does not give a specific name. For example:

• animal could mean any animal

• store could be any store

• game could be any kind of game

Saying "a girl" instead of "Maya" or "a city" instead of "London" are examples of using common nouns.

Read More: Common Grammar Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Common Noun Examples

To better understand what is a common noun, let’s explore several common noun examples across different categories. Below is a list of common noun examples along with the categories they belong to.

Related to Human Beings

These common noun examples refer to general types of people:

• Nurse

• Athlete

• Teacher

• Uncle

• Painter

• Driver

• Student

• Chef

Each of these nouns refers to a person but not a specific one. That makes them common nouns.

Related to Animals

These are common noun examples used for animals in a general sense:

• iger

• Parrot

• Fish

• Rabbit

• Insect

• Lion

• Butterfly

• Frog

They do not refer to a particular animal by name, which is why they are considered common nouns.

Related to Places

Here are common noun examples that describe places without naming a specific location:

• Library

• Airport

• Garden

• Market

• House

• Classroom

• Village

• Hotel

These nouns name types of places, not particular ones, so they are common nouns.

Read More: Abstract Nouns

Related to Things or Objects

This category includes common noun examples for general objects or items:

• Chair

• Umbrella

• Phone

• Spoon

• Bottle

• Fan

• Book

• Pen

These are all physical things we use or see every day, and they are common nouns because they are general terms.

Related to Ideas or Feelings

These common noun examples describe abstract things like thoughts and emotions:

• Peace

• Anger

• Courage

• Kindness

• Fear

• Success

• Friendship

• Honesty

You cannot touch or see these directly, but they are still common nouns because they refer to general ideas.

Read More: Possessive Noun

10 Common Nouns

Here is a list of 10 common nouns students should know:

1. School

2. Car

3. Flower

4. Table

5. Pen

6. Student

7. Bird

8. Apple

9. Computer

10. Bag

These words are used in everyday speech and writing and are perfect for learning the basics of grammar.

10 Sentence of Common Noun

Below are 10 sentence of common noun that will help you understand how they are used in daily language:

1. The baby is sleeping in the crib.

2. I left my keys on the table.

3. The farmer works in the field.

4. A boy and a girl played in the park.

5. She bought a book from the store.

6. The dog barked at the stranger.

7. We sat on the bench under a tree.

8. He found a coin on the road.

9. My friend invited me to her house.

10. The bus was late due to traffic.

Each of these includes one or more examples of common nouns in context.

Read More: Singular Nouns

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