plural

adjective

plu·​ral ˈplu̇r-əl How to pronounce plural (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or constituting a class of grammatical forms usually used to denote more than one or in some languages more than two
2
: relating to, consisting of, or containing more than one or more than one kind or class
a plural society
plural noun
plurally adverb

Examples of plural in a Sentence

The word “trees” is a plural noun. The plural form of the word “child” is “children.” a plural verb such as “are” or “were” rather than a singular verb such as “is” or “was”
Recent Examples on the Web Pretty much everybody has a pair of auricles or pinnae, which is plural for pinna. Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Mar. 2024 This is what our earlier Nicholson fact-check said about that money and the apparent single plane (not the planes plural Hovde described): The deal released Iranian assets frozen under a variety of sanctions. Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2024 In a letter included as part of the filing, Huffman, the now CEO, referred to the founding of the company using plural pronouns but never mentioned Ohanian by name. Paolo Confino, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2024 That's headlines, plural, because the entire internet is abuzz with salacious stories mined from the new Martha Stewart docuseries on CNN called The Many Lives of Martha Stewart. Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 2 Feb. 2024 Rest assured, The Santa Clauses really earns its plural title this season. Ew Staff, EW.com, 8 Sep. 2023 On Sunday's Sister Wives: Look Back special, the plural family patriarch reflected on his relationship with Meri Brown. Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 28 Dec. 2023 This vision of identity as plural means that self-assertion does not necessarily come at the expense of the rest of the world. Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2023 Distinct vocal mannerism: Replaces most other consonants with b or d or mn while alternating between plural and singular nouns for no reason. Kate Lindsay, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plural.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French plurel, from Latin pluralis, from plur-, plus more — more at plus

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of plural was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near plural

Cite this Entry

“Plural.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plural. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

plural

1 of 2 adjective
plu·​ral
ˈplu̇r-əl
: of, relating to, or being a word form used to indicate more than one
plural nouns
plurally
-ə-lē
adverb

plural

2 of 2 noun
: a form of a word used to show that more than one person or thing is meant

More from Merriam-Webster on plural

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