30 Everyday English Nouns and How They Are Defined
Daily conversations rely on structural terms whose exact definitions often go unnoticed. A floor denotes the inside lower horizontal surface of a room or hallway. Pressure refers to the force applied to a unit area of surface, measured in pascals or dynes. A committee describes a special group delegated to consider a specific matter.
Every word on this list can be added to Memorabit, which sends it as a reminder at an unexpected moment. The complete collection of thirty common nouns appears below.
| Word | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| station | a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose | he started looking for a gas station |
| population | the people who inhabit a territory or state | the population seemed to be well fed and clothed |
| addition | a component that is added to something to improve it | the addition of a bathroom was a major improvement |
| pressure | the force applied to a unit area of surface; measured in pascals (SI unit) or in dynes (cgs unit) | the compressed gas exerts an increased pressure |
| text | the words of something written | there were more than a thousand words of text |
| committee | a special group delegated to consider some matter | a committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours |
| ice | water frozen in the solid state | Americans like ice in their drinks |
| section | a self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical) | he always turns first to the business section |
| beginning | the event consisting of the start of something | the beginning of the war |
| focus | the concentration of attention or energy on something | the focus of activity shifted to molecular biology |
| campaign | a race between candidates for elective office | I managed his campaign for governor |
| contact | close interaction | they kept in daily contact |
| sale | a particular instance of selling | he has just made his first sale |
| nature | the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized | it is the nature of fire to burn |
| minute | a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour | he ran a 4 minute mile |
| movement | a change of position that does not entail a change of location | movement is a sign of life |
| scene | the place where some action occurs | the police returned to the scene of the crime |
| safety | the state of being certain that adverse effects will not be caused by some agent under defined conditions | insure the safety of the children |
| construction | the act of constructing something | during the construction we had to take a detour |
| subject | the subject matter of a conversation or discussion | he didn't want to discuss that subject |
| claim | an assertion of a right (as to money or property) | his claim asked for damages |
| lady | a polite name for any woman | a nice lady at the library helped me |
| unit | any division of quantity accepted as a standard of measurement or exchange | a unit of wheat is a bushel |
| sister | a female person who has the same parents as another person | my sister married a musician |
| letter | a written message addressed to a person or organization | mailed an indignant letter to the editor |
| floor | the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure) | we spread our sleeping bags on the dry floor of the tent |
| opening | an open or empty space in or between things | there was a small opening between the trees |
| opinion | a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty | my opinion differs from yours |
| bar | a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter | he drowned his sorrows in whiskey at the bar |
| degree | a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality | it is all a matter of degree |