Nouns name people, places, things, or ideas. That pretty much covers everything but actions, right? That’s the job of verbs. Given the weight of nouns in the English language, we’ve been walking through an alphabetical list of them, from A to Z. Here’s the skinny on nouns that start with W, as well as a little more on the functioning of this all-important part of speech.
50 Nouns Starting With W
Let’s enjoy walking through a wide list of 50 W-nouns. We’ve also included a definition for each word and a few synonyms as well.
Noun | Definition | Synonym |
money paid to a worker for work performed | salary, earnings, payment | |
the part of the body between the ribs and hips | midriff, waistline, torso | |
something that divides or supports | barricade, barrier, blockade | |
an armed conflict | conflict, combat, battle | |
a place where goods are stored | depot, store, storehouse | |
something that alerts to possible danger | caution, admonition, caveat | |
an assurance that the seller of the goods will repair or replace any defects that are found | assurance, contract, guarantee | |
unwanted or discarded matter | rubbish, garbage, scrap | |
a liquid found on the earth with no odor or taste | rain, liquid, H2O | |
a swell along the surface of the ocean caused by the wind | curl, gush, swell | |
a manner of doing something | method, mode, means | |
a lack of strength or a character flaw | fallibility, frailness, imperfection | |
a great amount of money, property, or possessions | abundance, riches, affluence | |
a tool used to injure or kill | armament, artillery, munitions | |
the condition of the climate in a particular place | climate, atmosphere, the elements | |
shortening of the phrase “world wide web” | internet, cyberspace, interweb | |
a property on the web that contains specific information | web page, blog, homepage | |
a ceremony in which two people get married | nuptials, matrimony, union | |
a seven-day period of time | seven days, work week | |
the days at the end of the week (usually Saturday and Sunday) | end of the week, respite, days off | |
how heavy something is | pressure, load, mass | |
the state of good health, happiness, and comfort | happiness, prosperity, success | |
the direction to the left of a person facing north | occident, westward | |
a cereal grass with dense, erect spikes containing grain | grain, corn, hay | |
a round frame that turns from a central point | disk, dial, ring | |
the measurement of distance from side to side | breadth, diameter, span | |
a woman who is married | spouse, lady, matron | |
a general term for all wild, untamed animals | fauna, animals, creatures | |
the natural movement of air | breeze, gust, gale | |
a pane of glass in a house, car, or other structure | aperture, bay, casement | |
an alcoholic drink made of fermented fruits | vino, cabernet, pinot noir | |
the forelimb of a flying animal | appendage, pinion, airfoil | |
someone who wins or succeeds | champion, conqueror, victor | |
the coldest season of the year | wintertime, cold, wintertide | |
metal that is in very thin threads or rods | cable, coil, line | |
connectivity to a computer network that doesn’t require wires or cords | Wi-Fi, cellular, mobile | |
the ability to know what is true or right | prudence, astuteness, sense | |
the act of taking something out | abandonment, cancellation, disavowal | |
a person who has seen an event | observer, onlooker, eyewitness | |
a female adult human | female, lady, dame | |
something made out of the layer right under a tree’s bark | forest, timber, lumber | |
a letter or group of letters that has meaning when spoken or written | term, designation, speech | |
a person that performs a necessary task | operator, mechanic, journeyman | |
the total number of workers actively employed | labor pool, personnel, staff | |
the act of doing physical exercise or training | tryout, drill, rehearsal | |
the location where you are employed | office, factory, building | |
a room where work tasks are performed | lab, studio, establishment | |
the planet and all the people on it | earth, globe, planet | |
a ritual showing devotion | praise, prayer, devotion | |
a person who writes or composes text | columnist, essayist, author |
What Is a Noun?
Nouns are the words that we use to refer to persons, places, things, or ideas. Typically, they’re preceded by articles such as “a,” “an,” or “the.” For example, you might say “a writer” or “the wave.”
One of the primary functions of nouns is to act as the subject of the sentence. In the sentence, “The waiter is nice,” “waiter” is a noun. Nouns are often direct objects, too. In the sentence, “The writer offers profound wisdom,” “wisdom” is the direct object. It’s the object of the verb, “offers.”
Types of Nouns
The basic formula of a standard English sentence is subject + verb + direct object. Nouns occupy two of those functions. Given their importance, there are many different classifications of nouns. Let’s review five of the most common types:
- Proper nouns name specific things, like the names of people, cities, states, countries, buildings, and books. As proper nouns, they are capitalized. So, “William” is a proper noun, but “boy” is a common noun.
- Common nouns refer to general items, such as “country,” instead of “Wales.”
- Abstract nouns are used when you can’t touch the noun. These nouns are theoretical, such as “worry” or “wonder.”
- Collective nouns refer to large groups, such as a “warren” of thieves or a “wolfpack” of deviants.
- Possessive nouns demonstrate ownership over something else. For example, with “Wanda’s wandering soul,” “Wanda’s” serves as a possessive noun, indicating it’s her wandering soul.
To continue to explore these categories, check out Types of Nouns.
10 Example Sentences
Want to wander through some sentences containing W-nouns? Here’s a selection of 10 of the above words in action:
- I hope you’re paying them a proper wage.
- Let’s paint this wall red.
- Would you like to add strawberries to your water?
- She loves to sit out there and watch the waves.
- He doesn’t believe he has a weakness in this area.
- What will the weather be like in Istanbul?
- Do you know anyone who can build my website?
- Don’t just live for the weekend.
- He’s a very hard worker.
- We enjoyed touring his workshop.
A Wake of W-Nouns and Beyond
Do you love to stand in the wake of the ocean? How about this wake of W-nouns? Pretty interesting, right? Would you like to apply some of these new terms to your next piece of writing or round of Words With Friends? Check out this list of nearly 800 words that start with W on WordFinder by YourDictionary. Who knew? Once you review the full list, you'll be able to filter it to specific criteria. For example, you can create a list of words that begin, end with or contain certain letter combinations. WordFinder's word list tool even allows you to search for words by the number of letters. What a great way to find W words!