name
♦♦♦ name /n'eɪm/ (names naming named)
1 [N-COUNT] usu with poss
The name of a person, place, or thing is the word or group of words that is used to identify them.
`What's his name?'--`Peter.'...
I don't even know if Sullivan's his real name...
They changed the name of the street.
2 [VERB] V n n, V-ed
When you name someone or something, you give them a name, usually at the beginning of their life.
My mother insisted on naming me Horace.
...a man named John T. Benson...
3 [VERB] V n after n, also V n for n
If you name someone or something after another person or thing, you give them the same name as that person or thing.
Why have you not named any of your sons after yourself?
4 [VERB] V n, V n as n
If you name someone, you identify them by stating their name.
It's nearly thirty years since a journalist was jailed for refusing to name a source...
One of the victims of the weekend's snowstorm has been named as twenty-year-old John Barr.
5 [VERB] V n
If you name something such as a price, time, or place, you say what you want it to be.
Call Marty, tell him to name his price.
= state
6 [VERB] V n, be V-ed as n, be V-ed n, also V n as n, V n n
If you name the person for a particular job, you say who you want to have the job.
The England manager will be naming a new captain, to replace the injured David Beckham...
When the chairman of Campbell's retired, McGovern was named as his successor...
Early in 1941 he was named commander of the Afrika Korps.
7 [N-COUNT] usu sing
You can refer to the reputation of a person or thing as their name.
He had a name for good judgement...
She's never had any drug problems or done anything to give jazz a bad name.
= reputation
8 [N-COUNT] usu with supp, oft adj N
You can refer to someone as, for example, a famous name or a great name when they are well-known. (JOURNALISM)
...some of the most famous names in modelling and show business.
= star
9
see also assumed name, big name, Christian name, Christian name, code name,
first name, given name, middle name, middle name, pet name
10 [PHRASE] v-link PHR, PHR after v
If something is in someone's name, it officially belongs to them or is reserved for them.
The house is in my husband's name...
A double room had been reserved for him in the name of Muller.
11 [PHRASE] PHR n, usu PHR after v
If someone does something in the name of a group of people, they do it as the representative of that group.
In the United States the majority governs in the name of the people...
12 [PHRASE] PHR n/-ing, usu PHR after v
If you do something in the name of an ideal or an abstract thing, you do it in order to preserve or promote that thing.
...one of those rare occasions in history when a political leader risked his own power in the name of the greater public good...
13 [PHRASE] PHR n, PHR with cl
People sometimes use expressions such as `in the name of heaven' or `in the name of humanity' to add emphasis to a question or request.
What in the name of heaven's going on?...
In the name of humanity I ask the government to reappraise this important issue.
14 [PHRASE] PHR after v
When you mention someone or something by name, or address someone by name, you use their name.
He greets customers by name and enquires about their health.
15 [PHRASE]
You can use by name or by the name of when you are saying what someone is called. (FORMAL)
...a young Australian, Harry Busteed by name...
This guy, Jack Smith, does he go by the name of Jackal?
16 [PHRASE] V inflects
If someone calls you names, they insult you by saying unpleasant things to you or about you.
At my last school they called me names because I was so slow...
They had called her rude names.
17 [PHRASE]
If you say that something is the name of the game, you mean that it is the most important aspect of a situation. (INFORMAL)
The name of the game is survival.
18 [PHRASE] V inflects, oft PHR as n
If you make a name for yourself or make your name as something, you become well-known for that thing.
She was beginning to make a name for herself as a portrait photographer...
He made his name with several collections of short stories.
19 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you name names, you identify the people who have done something, often something wrong.
Nobody was prepared to risk prosecution by actually naming names.
20 [PHRASE] Vs inflect
If something such as a newspaper or an official body names and shames people who have performed badly or who have done something wrong, it identifies those people by name.
The government will also name and shame the worst performing airlines.
21 [PHRASE]
You say you name it, usually after or before a list, to indicate that you are talking about a very wide range of things.
I also enjoy windsurfing, tennis, racquetball, swimming, you name it.as|sumed name (assumed names)
[N-COUNT] usu under N
If you do something under an assumed name, you do it using a name that is not your real name.
= pseudonymbig name (big names)
[N-COUNT]
A big name is a person who is successful and famous because of their work.
...all the big names in rock and pop.brand name (brand names)
[N-COUNT]
The brand name of a product is the name the manufacturer gives it and under which it is sold. (BUSINESS)
When it comes to soft drinks Coca-Cola is the biggest selling brand name in Britain.Christian name (Christian names)
[N-COUNT]
Some people refer to their first names as their Christian names.
Despite my attempts to get him to call me by my Christian name he insisted on addressing me as `Mr Kennedy'.code name (code names code naming code named)
also codename, code-name
1 [N-COUNT] usu N n
A code name is a name used for someone or something in order to keep their identity secret.
One of their informers was working under the code name Czerny...
2 [VERB] usu passive, be V-ed n, V-ed
If a military or police operation is code-named something, it is given a name which only the people involved in it know.
The operation was code-named Moonlight Sonata.
...a military contingent, code-named Sparrowhawk.do|main name (domain names)
[N-COUNT]
A domain name is the name of a person's or organization's website on the Internet, for example `cobuild.collins.co.uk'. (COMPUTING)
Is the domain name already registered or still available?fami|ly name (family names)
[N-COUNT]
Your family name is your surname.first name (first names)
[N-COUNT] usu poss N
Your first name is the first of the names that were given to you when you were born. You can also refer to all of your names except your surname as your first names.
Her first name was Mary. I don't know what her surname was.
[PHRASE] usu v-link PHR, oft PHR with n
If two people are on first-name terms, they know each other well enough to call each other by their first names, rather than having to use a more formal title.
The two were said to have been on first-name terms...giv|en name (given names)
[N-COUNT] oft with poss
A given name is a person's first name, which they are given at birth in addition to their surname. (FORMAL)
= first namemaid|en name (maiden names)
[N-COUNT] usu poss N
A married woman's maiden name is her parents' surname, which she used before she got married and started using her husband's surname.
≠ married namemid|dle name (middle names)
1 [N-COUNT] usu poss N
Your middle name is the name that comes between your first name and your surname.
His middle name is Justin.
2 [N-COUNT] usu poss N
You can use middle name in expressions such as `discretion was her middle name' and `his middle name is loyalty' to indicate that someone always behaves with a great deal of a particular quality. (HUMOROUS)
Geniality is my middle name. I rarely write a fierce word about any restaurant.pen name (pen names)
also pen-name
[N-COUNT]
A writer's pen name is the name that he or she uses on books and articles instead of his or her real name.
...Baroness Blixen, also known by her pen-name Isak Dinesen.
= pseudonympet name (pet names)
[N-COUNT]
A pet name is a special name that you use for a close friend or a member of your family instead of using their real name.screen name (screen names)
[N-COUNT]
Someone's screen name is a name that they use when communicating with other people on the Internet. (COMPUTING)
...someone with the screen name of nirvanakcf.sec|ond name (second names)
[N-COUNT]
Someone's second name is their family name, or the name that comes after their first name and before their family name.stage name (stage names)
[N-COUNT]
A stage name is a name that an actor or entertainer uses instead of his or her real name when they work.
Under the stage name of Beverly Brooks, Patricia had small parts in several British films.trade name (trade names)
[N-COUNT]
A trade name is the name which manufacturers give to a product or to a range of products.
It's marketed under the trade name `Tattle'.
= brand name
1 [N-COUNT] usu with poss
The name of a person, place, or thing is the word or group of words that is used to identify them.
`What's his name?'--`Peter.'...
I don't even know if Sullivan's his real name...
They changed the name of the street.
2 [VERB] V n n, V-ed
When you name someone or something, you give them a name, usually at the beginning of their life.
My mother insisted on naming me Horace.
...a man named John T. Benson...
3 [VERB] V n after n, also V n for n
If you name someone or something after another person or thing, you give them the same name as that person or thing.
Why have you not named any of your sons after yourself?
4 [VERB] V n, V n as n
If you name someone, you identify them by stating their name.
It's nearly thirty years since a journalist was jailed for refusing to name a source...
One of the victims of the weekend's snowstorm has been named as twenty-year-old John Barr.
5 [VERB] V n
If you name something such as a price, time, or place, you say what you want it to be.
Call Marty, tell him to name his price.
= state
6 [VERB] V n, be V-ed as n, be V-ed n, also V n as n, V n n
If you name the person for a particular job, you say who you want to have the job.
The England manager will be naming a new captain, to replace the injured David Beckham...
When the chairman of Campbell's retired, McGovern was named as his successor...
Early in 1941 he was named commander of the Afrika Korps.
7 [N-COUNT] usu sing
You can refer to the reputation of a person or thing as their name.
He had a name for good judgement...
She's never had any drug problems or done anything to give jazz a bad name.
= reputation
8 [N-COUNT] usu with supp, oft adj N
You can refer to someone as, for example, a famous name or a great name when they are well-known. (JOURNALISM)
...some of the most famous names in modelling and show business.
= star
9
see also assumed name, big name, Christian name, Christian name, code name,
first name, given name, middle name, middle name, pet name
10 [PHRASE] v-link PHR, PHR after v
If something is in someone's name, it officially belongs to them or is reserved for them.
The house is in my husband's name...
A double room had been reserved for him in the name of Muller.
11 [PHRASE] PHR n, usu PHR after v
If someone does something in the name of a group of people, they do it as the representative of that group.
In the United States the majority governs in the name of the people...
12 [PHRASE] PHR n/-ing, usu PHR after v
If you do something in the name of an ideal or an abstract thing, you do it in order to preserve or promote that thing.
...one of those rare occasions in history when a political leader risked his own power in the name of the greater public good...
13 [PHRASE] PHR n, PHR with cl
People sometimes use expressions such as `in the name of heaven' or `in the name of humanity' to add emphasis to a question or request.
What in the name of heaven's going on?...
In the name of humanity I ask the government to reappraise this important issue.
14 [PHRASE] PHR after v
When you mention someone or something by name, or address someone by name, you use their name.
He greets customers by name and enquires about their health.
15 [PHRASE]
You can use by name or by the name of when you are saying what someone is called. (FORMAL)
...a young Australian, Harry Busteed by name...
This guy, Jack Smith, does he go by the name of Jackal?
16 [PHRASE] V inflects
If someone calls you names, they insult you by saying unpleasant things to you or about you.
At my last school they called me names because I was so slow...
They had called her rude names.
17 [PHRASE]
If you say that something is the name of the game, you mean that it is the most important aspect of a situation. (INFORMAL)
The name of the game is survival.
18 [PHRASE] V inflects, oft PHR as n
If you make a name for yourself or make your name as something, you become well-known for that thing.
She was beginning to make a name for herself as a portrait photographer...
He made his name with several collections of short stories.
19 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you name names, you identify the people who have done something, often something wrong.
Nobody was prepared to risk prosecution by actually naming names.
20 [PHRASE] Vs inflect
If something such as a newspaper or an official body names and shames people who have performed badly or who have done something wrong, it identifies those people by name.
The government will also name and shame the worst performing airlines.
21 [PHRASE]
You say you name it, usually after or before a list, to indicate that you are talking about a very wide range of things.
I also enjoy windsurfing, tennis, racquetball, swimming, you name it.as|sumed name (assumed names)
[N-COUNT] usu under N
If you do something under an assumed name, you do it using a name that is not your real name.
= pseudonymbig name (big names)
[N-COUNT]
A big name is a person who is successful and famous because of their work.
...all the big names in rock and pop.brand name (brand names)
[N-COUNT]
The brand name of a product is the name the manufacturer gives it and under which it is sold. (BUSINESS)
When it comes to soft drinks Coca-Cola is the biggest selling brand name in Britain.Christian name (Christian names)
[N-COUNT]
Some people refer to their first names as their Christian names.
Despite my attempts to get him to call me by my Christian name he insisted on addressing me as `Mr Kennedy'.code name (code names code naming code named)
also codename, code-name
1 [N-COUNT] usu N n
A code name is a name used for someone or something in order to keep their identity secret.
One of their informers was working under the code name Czerny...
2 [VERB] usu passive, be V-ed n, V-ed
If a military or police operation is code-named something, it is given a name which only the people involved in it know.
The operation was code-named Moonlight Sonata.
...a military contingent, code-named Sparrowhawk.do|main name (domain names)
[N-COUNT]
A domain name is the name of a person's or organization's website on the Internet, for example `cobuild.collins.co.uk'. (COMPUTING)
Is the domain name already registered or still available?fami|ly name (family names)
[N-COUNT]
Your family name is your surname.first name (first names)
[N-COUNT] usu poss N
Your first name is the first of the names that were given to you when you were born. You can also refer to all of your names except your surname as your first names.
Her first name was Mary. I don't know what her surname was.
[PHRASE] usu v-link PHR, oft PHR with n
If two people are on first-name terms, they know each other well enough to call each other by their first names, rather than having to use a more formal title.
The two were said to have been on first-name terms...giv|en name (given names)
[N-COUNT] oft with poss
A given name is a person's first name, which they are given at birth in addition to their surname. (FORMAL)
= first namemaid|en name (maiden names)
[N-COUNT] usu poss N
A married woman's maiden name is her parents' surname, which she used before she got married and started using her husband's surname.
≠ married namemid|dle name (middle names)
1 [N-COUNT] usu poss N
Your middle name is the name that comes between your first name and your surname.
His middle name is Justin.
2 [N-COUNT] usu poss N
You can use middle name in expressions such as `discretion was her middle name' and `his middle name is loyalty' to indicate that someone always behaves with a great deal of a particular quality. (HUMOROUS)
Geniality is my middle name. I rarely write a fierce word about any restaurant.pen name (pen names)
also pen-name
[N-COUNT]
A writer's pen name is the name that he or she uses on books and articles instead of his or her real name.
...Baroness Blixen, also known by her pen-name Isak Dinesen.
= pseudonympet name (pet names)
[N-COUNT]
A pet name is a special name that you use for a close friend or a member of your family instead of using their real name.screen name (screen names)
[N-COUNT]
Someone's screen name is a name that they use when communicating with other people on the Internet. (COMPUTING)
...someone with the screen name of nirvanakcf.sec|ond name (second names)
[N-COUNT]
Someone's second name is their family name, or the name that comes after their first name and before their family name.stage name (stage names)
[N-COUNT]
A stage name is a name that an actor or entertainer uses instead of his or her real name when they work.
Under the stage name of Beverly Brooks, Patricia had small parts in several British films.trade name (trade names)
[N-COUNT]
A trade name is the name which manufacturers give to a product or to a range of products.
It's marketed under the trade name `Tattle'.
= brand name