I. name 1 S1 W1 /neɪm/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: verb : ↑ name , ↑ rename ; adjective : named ≠ ↑ unnamed , ↑ nameless ; noun : ↑ name ; adverb : ↑ namely ]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: nama ]
1 . OF A PERSON [countable] what someone is called:
Her name is Mandy Wilson.
What’s your last name?
by the name of something (=called something)
He married a young lady by the name of Sarah Hunt.
under the name (of) something (=using a different name from your real name)
HH Munro wrote under the name Saki.
2 . OF A THING OR PLACE [countable] what a thing, organization, or place is called
name of
What’s the name of the street?
The name of the company has changed.
name for
Edo was the ancient name for Tokyo.
The flower’s common name (=name that is used by ordinary people, not its scientific name) is forget-me-not.
3 . REPUTATION [singular] the opinion that people have about a person or organization SYN reputation :
He didn’t want to do anything to damage the good name of the company.
The restaurant got a bad name for slow service.
They give the rest of the fans a bad name.
The company has a name for reliability.
make your name/make a name for yourself (=become famous for something)
He quickly made a name for himself in the Parisian art world.
clear your name (=prove that you did not do something bad or illegal)
4 . FAMOUS PERSON/COMPANY/PRODUCT [countable] informal a person, company, or product that is very famous or is known by many people
big/famous/household name
some of the biggest names in show business
It made the company into a household name (=a very well-known person or thing) .
5 . call somebody names to use unpleasant words to describe someone in order to insult or upset them:
The other kids used to call me names.
call somebody all the names under the sun (=use many unpleasant words)
6 . in sb’s name/in the name of somebody
a) if something is in someone’s name, it officially belongs to them or is for them to use:
The house is in my husband’s name.
I’ve booked a table in the name of Steinmann.
b) formal as someone else’s official representative:
I claim this land in the name of the King!
7 . something has sb’s name on it something that seems to be appropriate for or deserved by a particular person:
The match has England’s name on it (=they will win it) .
8 . in the name of religion/freedom/science etc using religion, freedom etc as the reason why something is done – used especially when you disapprove of what someone is doing:
cruel experiments on animals carried out in the name of science
the things people do in the name of love
9 . have something to your name informal to have or own something – used to emphasize that someone has very little or a lot of something:
He died without a penny to his name (=very poor) .
He didn’t have a qualification to his name.
10 . the name of the game informal the most important thing in a particular activity or situation:
Quality, that’s the name of the game.
11 . cannot put a name to something spoken used to say that someone is not able to say what something is called:
I know the tune but I can’t put a name to it.
12 . take sb’s name in vain to talk about someone without showing respect for them:
How dare you take the Lord’s name in vain (=swear using a word such as ‘God’ or ‘Jesus’) ?
13 . in name only/alone if a situation exists in name only, it does not really exist even though officially people say it does:
a democracy in name only
He was president in name only.
14 . in all/everything but name if something is true in all but name, it is really true, even though people do not officially say that it is true:
She was his wife in all but name.
15 . sb’s name is mud informal used to say that people are angry with someone because of something he or she has done – used especially humorously:
If anything goes wrong, your name will be mud.
⇨ drag sb’s name through the mud at ↑ drag 1 (10), ⇨ ↑ pen name
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 1)
■ verbs
▪ have a name
All their children have French names.
▪ give somebody a name
They gave their children unusual names.
▪ use a name (=tell people that you have a particular name)
She may be using a false name.
▪ take a name (=choose to have a new name)
Are you going to take your husband’s name when you get married?
▪ change your name
Many immigrants changed their names to seem more American.
▪ give (somebody) your name (=tell someone your name, especially someone in an official position)
I gave my name to the receptionist.
▪ know sb’s name
His first name is Tom, but I don’t know his last name.
▪ use sb’s name (=say their name when speaking to them)
I didn’t know him well enough to use his first name.
▪ call sb’s name (=say someone’s name loudly, to get their attention)
He called Jean’s name, but there was no answer.
▪ sign your name
Sign your name here, please.
■ phrases
▪ call somebody by their first/full etc name (=use that name when you speak to them)
Everyone called him by his first name.
▪ go by the name of ... (=be called something by people, often when that is not your real name)
As he had long red hair, he went by the name of Red.
▪ know somebody by name (=know their name)
The headteacher knew all the children by name.
▪ greet somebody by name (=use someone’s name when you see them)
The waiter greeted him by name.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 3)
■ adjectives
▪ a good name
The company wants to maintain its good name.
▪ a bad name
Most students feel that both boys and girls deserve a bad name if they sleep around.
■ verbs
▪ have a name (for something)
They have a name for good quality food.
▪ make your name ( also make a name for yourself ) (=become famous for something)
He made a name for himself as a conductor of the Berlin Orchestra.
▪ clear your name (=prove that you have not done something bad or illegal)
She was determined to clear her name.
▪ give somebody/something a bad name (=make someone or something have a bad reputation)
A scandal like this could give the university a bad name.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ first name ( also given name especially American English formal ) the name chosen for you by your parents:
People usually call each other by their first name.
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Please write your given name and your date of birth.
▪ Christian name old-fashioned first name:
His Christian name was Joseph.
▪ last name/family name/surname the name that you share with your family or husband. Most English speakers would say last name . Surname sounds slightly formal:
Can I have your last name?
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Johnson is a common English family name.
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At school they used to call each other by their surnames.
▪ middle name the name between your first and last names:
Harry Potter’s middle name is James.
▪ full name your first name, middle name, and last name:
I need your full name and address.
▪ maiden name a woman’s family name before she married and began using her husband’s name:
My mother’s maiden name was Higgins.
▪ married name a woman’s family name after she gets married, if she uses her husband’s name:
I don’t know what her married name is.
▪ nickname a name that people call you because of your appearance, personality etc, which is not your real name:
At school he was given the nickname ‘Shorty’.
▪ stage name the name that an actor uses which is not their real name:
She began acting in her childhood under the stage name Marjorie Moore.
▪ pen name ( also pseudonym formal ) a name that a writer uses which is not their real name:
Mark Twain was his pen name. His real name was Samuel Clemens.
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She wrote under the pseudonym of George Eliot.
▪ under an assumed name using a false name in order to hide your real name:
He had rented the car under an assumed name.
▪ alias /ˈeɪliəs/ a false name, especially one used by a criminal:
He uses a number of aliases.
▪ appellation formal a name which describes something – a very formal use:
This fine city justifies its appellation ‘the Pearl of the Orient’.
▪ sobriquet formal a nickname – a very formal use:
Jackson gained the sobriquet ‘Stonewall’ at the Battle of Bull Run.
II. name 2 S2 W2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Word Family: verb : ↑ name , ↑ rename ; adjective : named ≠ ↑ unnamed , ↑ nameless ; noun : ↑ name ; adverb : ↑ namely ]
1 . GIVE SOMEBODY A NAME to give someone or something a particular name ⇨ call
name somebody John/Ann etc
We named our daughter Sarah.
name somebody/something after somebody/something (=give someone or something the same name as another person or thing)
He was named after his father.
The street is named after the famous South African leader, Nelson Mandela.
name something for somebody/something American English (=give something the same name as a person or thing)
The college is named for George Washington.
a man/woman etc named something (=someone with a particular name)
some guy named Bob Dylan
REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say someone or something is called something rather than named something:
▪
He had a friend called Mick.
2 . SAY SB’S OR STH’S NAME to say what the name of someone or something is, especially officially:
The two murder victims have yet to be named.
name somebody as something
The woman who was shot has been named as Mary Radcliff.
She has secret information and is threatening to name names (=name the people who were involved in something, especially something bad or illegal) .
They’re a lot better than some airlines I could name.
name and shame British English (=say publicly who is responsible for something illegal that has happened, or who has not achieved a particular standard)
3 . CHOOSE SOMEBODY to officially choose someone or something, especially for an important job or prize
name somebody/something (as) something
The film was named best foreign film.
Quinn has been named as the new team manager.
name somebody to something American English :
Fitzgerald was named to the committee by the chairman.
4 . to name but a few/a handful/three etc used after a short list of things or people to say that there are many more you could mention
5 . you name it (they’ve got it)! spoken used after a list of things to mean that there are many more you could mention:
Clothes, books – you name it, they've got it!
6 . name the day/date to decide on a date for your wedding
7 . name your price spoken to say how much you are willing to pay for something or sell something for