# plural

/ˈpɫʊɹəɫ/ (US) · /plˈɔːɹəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/plural
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. more than one

adjective · CEFR B1

relating to more than one person or thing.

For teachers: denoting more than one person, thing, or instance; in English grammar, it refers to the form of a word used for any number other than one.

- The word 'cats' is the plural form of the word 'cat'.
- The student struggled to remember the irregular plural forms of certain nouns, such as 'children' and 'phenomena'.

### 2. diverse or multiple

adjective · CEFR C1 · Academic · Formal

made up of many different groups, ideas, or parts.

For teachers: relating to a system or society that contains different groups or diverse elements; pluralistic.

- We live in a plural society where many different cultures exist together.
- The philosopher argued that a plural approach to ethics is necessary to accommodate the diverse values found in modern democracies.

### 3. the word form

noun · CEFR B1

the form of a word that you use when you are talking about more than one thing.

For teachers: a word or grammatical form used to denote more than one referent.

- In English, most nouns form their plural by adding an 's' at the end.
- The professor noted that some collective nouns can take either a singular or a plural verb depending on the intended emphasis.

## Examples

- The plural of 'cat' is 'cats'.
- Students often struggle with irregular plural forms like 'children' or 'mice'.
- In many languages, the plural form changes the vowel sound within the word, a process known as umlaut or ablaut.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.