name (names plural & 3rd person present) (naming present participle) (named past tense & past participle )
1 n-count The name of a person, place, or thing is the word or group of words that is used to identify them.
usu with poss
`What's his name?'<emdash10001`Peter.'..., I don't even know if Sullivan's his real name..., They changed the name of the street.
2 verb 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. V n n
...a man named John T. Benson... V-ed
3 verb 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? V n after n, Also V n for n
4 verb 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... V n
One of the victims of the weekend's snowstorm has been named as twenty-year-old John Barr. V n as n
5 verb If you name something such as a price, time, or place, you say what you want it to be.
(=state)
Call Marty, tell him to name his price. V n
6 verb 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... V n
When the chairman of Campbell's retired, McGovern was named as his successor... be V-ed as n
Early in 1941 he was named commander of the Afrika Korps. be V-ed n, Also V n as n, V n n
7 n-count You can refer to the reputation of a person or thing as their name.
usu sing
(=reputation)
He had a name for good judgement..., She's never had any drug problems or done anything to give jazz a bad name.
8 n-count You can refer to someone as, for example, a famous name or a great name when they are well-known. (JOURNALISM) usu with supp, oft adj N
(=star)
...some of the most famous names in modelling and show business.
9
→
assumed name
→
big name
→
brand name
→
Christian name
→
code name
→
first name
→
given name
→
maiden name
→
middle name
→
pet name
10 If something is in someone's name, it officially belongs to them or is reserved for them.
in sb's name/in the name of sb phrase v-link PHR, PHR after v
The house is in my husband's name..., A double room had been reserved for him in the name of Muller.
11 If someone does something in the name of a group of people, they do it as the representative of that group.
in the name of sb/in sb's name phrase PHR n, usu PHR after v
In the United States the majority governs in the name of the people...
12 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.
in the name of sth phrase PHR n/-ing, usu PHR after v
...one of those rare occasions in history when a political leader risked his own power in the name of the greater public good...
13 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.
in the name of sb/in the name of sth phrase PHR n, PHR with cl (emphasis)
What in the name of heaven's going on?..., In the name of humanity I ask the government to reappraise this important issue.
14 When you mention someone or something by name, or address someone by name, you use their name.
by name phrase PHR after v
He greets customers by name and enquires about their health.
15 You can use by name or by the name of when you are saying what someone is called.
FORMAL
by name/by the name of something phrase
...a young Australian, Harry Busteed by name..., This guy, Jack Smith, does he go by the name of Jackal?
16 If someone calls you names, they insult you by saying unpleasant things to you or about you.
call sb names phrase V inflects
At my last school they called me names because I was so slow..., They had called her rude names.
17 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 phrase
The name of the game is survival.
18 If you make a name foryourself or make your nameas something, you become well-known for that thing.
make a name for oneself/make one's name phrase V inflects, oft PHR as n
She was beginning to make a name for herself as a portrait photographer..., He made his name with several collections of short stories.
19 If you name names, you identify the people who have done something, often something wrong.
name names phrase V inflects
Nobody was prepared to risk prosecution by actually naming names.
20 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.
name and shame phrase Vs inflect
The government will also name and shame the worst performing airlines.
21 You say you name it, usually after or before a list, to indicate that you are talking about a very wide range of things.
you name it phrase I also enjoy windsurfing, tennis, racquetball, swimming, you name it.
assumed name (assumed names plural )If you do something under an assumed name, you do it using a name that is not your real name. n-count usu under N
(=pseudonym)
big name (big names plural )A big name is a person who is successful and famous because of their work. n-count
...all the big names in rock and pop.
brand name (brand names plural )The brand name of a product is the name the manufacturer gives it and under which it is sold. (BUSINESS) n-count
When it comes to soft drinks Coca-Cola is the biggest selling brand name in Britain.
Christian name (Christian names plural )Some people refer to their first names as their Christian names. n-count
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 plural & 3rd person present) (code naming present participle) (code named past tense & past participle ), codename, code-name
1 n-count A code name is a name used for someone or something in order to keep their identity secret.
usu N n
One of their informers was working under the code name Czerny...
2 verb If a military or police operation is code-named something, it is given a name which only the people involved in it know.
usu passive
The operation was code-named Moonlight Sonata. be V-ed n
...a military contingent, code-named Sparrowhawk. V-ed
domain name (domain names plural )A domain name is the name of a person's or organization's website on the Internet, for example `cobuild.collins.co.uk'. (COMPUTING) n-count
Is the domain name already registered or still available?
family name (family names plural )Your family name is your surname. n-count
first name (first names plural )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. n-count usu poss N
Her first name was Mary. I don't know what her surname was. 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.
on first name terms phrase usu v-link PHR, oft PHR with n
The two were said to have been on first-name terms...
given name (given names plural )A given name is a person's first name, which they are given at birth in addition to their surname.
FORMAL n-count oft with poss
(=first name)
maiden name (maiden names plural )A married woman's maiden name is her parents' surname, which she used before she got married and started using her husband's surname. n-count usu poss N (Antonym: married name)
middle name (middle names plural )
1 n-count Your middle name is the name that comes between your first name and your surname.
usu poss N
His middle name is Justin.
2 n-count 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 usu poss N
Geniality is my middle name. I rarely write a fierce word about any restaurant.
name-drop (name-drops 3rd person present) (name-dropping present participle) (name-dropped past tense & past participle )If you say that someone name-drops, you disapprove of them referring to famous people they have met in order to impress people. verb
(disapproval)
The assistant carried on talking to his mate, name-dropping all the famous riders he knew... V n
I must stop saying everyone famous is a good friend. It sounds as if I'm name-dropping. V
name-dropping n-uncount
One can do a lot of name-dropping with names of the school's parents. President Nixon sent his daughters there.
pen name (pen names plural ), pen-name A writer's pen name is the name that he or she uses on books and articles instead of his or her real name. n-count
(=pseudonym)
...Baroness Blixen, also known by her pen-name Isak Dinesen.
pet name (pet names plural )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. n-count
screen name (screen names plural )Someone's screen name is a name that they use when communicating with other people on the Internet. n-count (COMPUTING)
...someone with the screen name of nirvanakcf.
second name (second names plural )Someone's second name is their family name, or the name that comes after their first name and before their family name. n-count
stage name (stage names plural )A stage name is a name that an actor or entertainer uses instead of his or her real name when they work. n-count
Under the stage name of Beverly Brooks, Patricia had small parts in several British films.
trade name (trade names plural )A trade name is the name which manufacturers give to a product or to a range of products. n-count
(=brand name)
It's marketed under the trade name `Tattle'.
