PRONOUN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does pronoun mean? 

• PRONOUN (noun)
  The noun PRONOUN has 1 sense:

1. a function word that is used in place of a noun or noun phrase

  Familiarity information: PRONOUN used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PRONOUN (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A function word that is used in place of a noun or noun phrase

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("pronoun" is a kind of...):

closed-class word; function word (a word that is uninflected and serves a grammatical function but has little identifiable meaning)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pronoun"):

anaphoric pronoun (a pronoun that refers to an antecedent)

demonstrative; demonstrative pronoun (a pronoun that points out an intended referent)

personal pronoun (a pronoun expressing a distinction of person)

reciprocal pronoun (a pronoun or pronominal phrase (as 'each other') that expresses a mutual action or relationship between the individuals indicated in the plural subject)

relative pronoun (a pronoun (as 'that' or 'which' or 'who') that introduces a relative clause referring to some antecedent)

 Context examples 

We all know the difference between the pronouns he or she and thou, the plainest spoken amongst us; we all feel the influence of a something beyond common civility in our personal intercourse with each other—a something more early implanted.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)