What is a Noun? A noun is defined as a word that names or identifies a person, place, thing, idea, or animal. Nouns are the words in a sentence that represent a certain person (John), place (London), thing (pen), idea (discipline), or animal (dog). Nouns can be concrete (pen) or abstract (discipline). The easiest way to spot a noun is by identifying a name, place, thing, idea, or animal in a sentence. Being aware of the noun definition, noun meaning, and what are nouns is integral for understanding grammar and sentence structure in any language. Types of nouns Proper noun Proper nouns are nouns that specifically name a person, place, or thing. Proper nouns start with capital letters, making it easy to distinguish them from other types of nouns. Collective noun A noun used to refer to a group of individuals, animals, or things as a single unit is called a collective noun. It shows a grouping of similar things. Collective nouns are a type of singular noun but they represent a pl...