plural

[ ploor-uhl ]

adjective

1. consisting of, containing, or pertaining to more than one.
2. pertaining to or involving a plurality of persons or things.
3. being one of such a plurality.
4. Grammar. noting or pertaining to a member of the category of number, found in many languages, indicating that a word has more than one referent, as in English men, or more than two referents, as in Old English ge, meaning “you.”

noun

, Grammar.

1. the plural number.
2. a form in the plural.

plural

/ ˈplʊərəl /

adjective

1. containing, involving, or composed of more than one person, thing, item, etc

   a plural society

2. denoting a word indicating that more than one referent is being referred to or described

noun

1. grammar
   1. the plural number
   2. a plural form

plural

1. The grammatical category in nouns , pronouns , and verbs that refers to more than one thing. Most nouns become plural with the addition of -s or -es : hats , chairs , dishes , countries , and so on. Some nouns form the plural in other ways, as in children , feet , geese , and women . ( Compare singular ; see agreement .)

Derived Forms

• ˈplurally, adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of plural¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin plūrālis, equivalent to plūr-, stem of plūs plus + -alis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of plural¹

C14: from Old French plurel, from Late Latin plūrālis concerning many, from Latin plūs more

Example Sentences

As it moved through TikTok and Instagram, the term focused solely on the plural possessive, as people jokingly addressed their intangible audiences.

From Slate

It’s both singular and plural.

From Slate

The nonprofit is testing out a method where a UV light is set up to attract bugs to bats near the hibernacula, the cool-sounding plural for bat refuges.

From Los Angeles Times

The White House sent out its own version of the line in a transcript, adding an apostrophe to “supporters’ ” — a plural possessive that indicates the president was condemning their "demonization of Latinos" rather than the supporters themselves.

From Salon

The Story was, most of all, war — wars, plural.

From Los Angeles Times