names 1 of 2

noun

plural of name
1
as in monikers
a word or combination of words by which a person or thing is regularly known introduced himself and then asked what my name was

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2
as in insults
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings quit calling her names

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3
as in faces
outward and often deceptive indication a celebrity who is the head of the charitable organization in name only

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4
as in reputations
overall quality as seen or judged by people in general has a good name among fellow marine biologists

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5
as in celebrities
a person who is widely known and usually much talked about managed to get several names to appear at the restaurant's opening

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names

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of name
1
as in labels
to give a name to decided to name her new puppy "Bubbles"

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2
as in mentions
to make reference to or speak about briefly but specifically I don't want to name anyone in particular, but someone in this room fiddled with my car's radio

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3
as in nominates
to pick (someone) by one's authority for a specific position or duty was named the provost of the university

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4
as in picks
to decide to accept (someone or something) from a group of possibilities you don't like my offer? Just name your price

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5
as in sets
to decide upon (the time or date for an event) usually from a position of authority you name the date and I'll make sure I'm there

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6
as in figures
to come to a judgment about after discussion or consideration they finally named a date for the wedding

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of names
Noun
The first few names on the list read like a Who’s Who of wonderkids; Renato Sanches was once a shoo-in for your Football Manager save, while Pedri and Joao Neves have gone on to become two of the most influential midfielders in the game. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026 The suit seeks compensatory and punitive damages and names Arellano in his individual capacity as the sole defendant. — Arkansas Online, 13 Aug. 2026 The Meta rankings return the same four names, and UFC 331 is the contrast. — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026 Here’s a list of some of the fastest-growing South Korean names, based on their social media followings, content and reach, per Launchmetrics’s growth and Voice Echo analysis, as well as global Vogue editorial consultations. — Madeleine Schulz, Vogue, 12 Aug. 2026 Kelce and Swift went to great lengths to keep their romantic ceremony private, sending digital invites watermarked with guest names and bundled with NDAs barring them from revealing information about their attendance in advance. — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026 Election workers moved additional batches to a second high-speed scanner, but election officials say that system couldn't accept two batches with identical batch names. — Joseph Buczek, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026 So the professional bodybuilder, now 39, started putting some of his savings into popular US tech stocks — names like Google, Apple and Nvidia. — Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026 Kelly is a veteran lobbyist whose client list has included former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan and other powerful names. — Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026
Verb
The order names Unitree and AgiBot directly, and points to the risks of depending on machines packed with cameras, microphones and network connectivity that are built by a foreign power. — John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026 The suit, which names Mayor Mamdani and his finance commissioner Richard Lee, claims that the city did not fully make use of the information available to it about homeowners in determining who would be subject to the tax. — Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026 Instead, the report names several examples that are indirect, exaggerated and hard to follow. — Aaron Coy Moulton, The Conversation, 7 Aug. 2026 Apple’s lawsuit also names a former iPhone engineer, Chang Liu, who joined OpenAI in January. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 4 Aug. 2026 The lawsuit names the companies that owned and managed the Reserve at LaVista Walk apartments as defendants, including LHNH Lavista LLC, Silverpoint Management, LLC, and Avenium Group, LLC. — Daniel Wilkerson, CBS News, 31 July 2026 The lawsuit names multiple defendants, including the national Delta Upsilon Fraternity, the Alumni of Kansas Chapter of Delta Upsilon and the Kansas Chapter of Delta Upsilon Educational Foundation. — Cuyler Dunn, Kansas City Star, 29 July 2026 The lawsuit names the estate of Thy’s deceased husband, Matthew Mitchell, 52, as well as his mother, Bettie Elaine Mitchell, and sister, Meredith Mitchell. — Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026 The suit names California State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant, whose office issued fireworks licenses to Devastating Pyrotechnics and Blackstar Fireworks. — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 25 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for names
  1. monikers
  2. insults
  3. faces
  4. reputations
  5. celebrities
  6. labels
  7. mentions
  8. nominates
Noun
  • Expect to see names like Helaena, Baela, and Alicent all become popular monikers for princesses-in-training in the next few years—dragons not included.
    — Parents, Parents, 31 July 2026
  • The Bachelor Nation star and his wife landed on the twins' first names after testing them out with River, who didn't hesitate to make the monikers part of her everyday vocabulary even before her little sisters were born.
    — Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026
Definition of monikers
Noun
  • There’s blood and insults and exasperation and pain and horror.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The amendment aims to prevent players from hiding insults or other abuse — including discriminatory remarks — behind their hand, arm or jersey.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of insults
Noun
  • There are a lot of new faces; some old, familiar faces are nowhere to be found; and some of those that did return have new jobs.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Some diligently blur out the faces of guests who are in the vicinity and captured on camera.
    — Doug Gollan, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of faces
Noun
  • Sure, training camp always inflates the reputations of a receiver who can win a 50-50 ball against second-string cornerbacks.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026
  • But credibility—the kind that moves an investor, closes a deal or survives due diligence—still flows from editorial placements in publications with reputations built over decades.
    — Ohad Ben Artzi, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of reputations
Noun
  • On his Instagram account, Harper shared a screenshot of the request on Cameo, an app that allows users to pay celebrities to record custom videos.
    — Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Azature Pogosian’s Favorite Places In Los Angeles Petite Hermitage, a popular boutique hotel in West Hollywood, frequented by the locals and celebrities alike.
    — Stephan Rabimov, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of celebrities
Verb
  • Sony first brought lawsuits against Udio and its competitor Suno in June 2024 alongside labels Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group.
    — Corbin Bolies, Variety, 22 July 2026
  • Much of the American left seeks to counter Trump with a form of progressive populism that labels billionaires and oligarchs enemies of the people.
    — Gilad Edelman, The Atlantic, 19 July 2026
Definition of labels
Verb
  • Someone mentions that a department is expanding or offer to refer you for a job with their organization.
    — Dr. Cynthia J. Young, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Girl Group also mentions Ary as a must-see artist, as well as the band Three40Four and singer-songwriters Elia and Ea Othilde.
    — Ellise Shafer, Variety, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of mentions
Verb
  • Even though the president nominates agency leaders, those commissioners are confirmed by the Senate and must not be unfairly punished for exercising independent judgment, Potter said.
    — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 29 June 2026
  • Trump nominates Cameron Hamilton to lead FEMA, a surprising comeback after the former Navy SEAL was fired last May for defending the agency’s existence amid calls to dismantle it.
    — Gabriela Aoun Angueira, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
Definition of nominates

Browse Nearby Words

namers
names
naming
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Cite this Entry

“Names.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/names. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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