Nouns That Start With W

Updated June 4, 2021
nouns that start with w
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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

wage

money paid to a worker for work performed

salary, earnings, payment

waist

the part of the body between the ribs and hips

midriff, waistline, torso

wall

something that divides or supports

barricade, barrier, blockade

war

an armed conflict

conflict, combat, battle

warehouse

a place where goods are stored

depot, store, storehouse

warning

something that alerts to possible danger

caution, admonition, caveat

warranty

an assurance that the seller of the goods will repair or replace any defects that are found

assurance, contract, guarantee

waste

unwanted or discarded matter

rubbish, garbage, scrap

water

a liquid found on the earth with no odor or taste

rain, liquid, H2O

wave

a swell along the surface of the ocean caused by the wind

curl, gush, swell

way

a manner of doing something

method, mode, means

weakness

a lack of strength or a character flaw

fallibility, frailness, imperfection

wealth

a great amount of money, property, or possessions

abundance, riches, affluence

weapon

a tool used to injure or kill

armament, artillery, munitions

weather

the condition of the climate in a particular place

climate, atmosphere, the elements

web

shortening of the phrase “world wide web”

internet, cyberspace, interweb

website

a property on the web that contains specific information

web page, blog, homepage

wedding

a ceremony in which two people get married

nuptials, matrimony, union

week

a seven-day period of time

seven days, work week

weekend

the days at the end of the week (usually Saturday and Sunday)

end of the week, respite, days off

weight

how heavy something is

pressure, load, mass

welfare

the state of good health, happiness, and comfort

happiness, prosperity, success

west

the direction to the left of a person facing north

occident, westward

wheat

a cereal grass with dense, erect spikes containing grain

grain, corn, hay

wheel

a round frame that turns from a central point

disk, dial, ring

width

the measurement of distance from side to side

breadth, diameter, span

wife

a woman who is married

spouse, lady, matron

wildlife

a general term for all wild, untamed animals

fauna, animals, creatures

wind

the natural movement of air

breeze, gust, gale

window

a pane of glass in a house, car, or other structure

aperture, bay, casement

wine

an alcoholic drink made of fermented fruits

vino, cabernet, pinot noir

wing

the forelimb of a flying animal

appendage, pinion, airfoil

winner

someone who wins or succeeds

champion, conqueror, victor

winter

the coldest season of the year

wintertime, cold, wintertide

wire

metal that is in very thin threads or rods

cable, coil, line

wireless

connectivity to a computer network that doesn’t require wires or cords

Wi-Fi, cellular, mobile

wisdom

the ability to know what is true or right

prudence, astuteness, sense

withdrawal

the act of taking something out

abandonment, cancellation, disavowal

witness

a person who has seen an event

observer, onlooker, eyewitness

woman

a female adult human

female, lady, dame

wood

something made out of the layer right under a tree’s bark

forest, timber, lumber

word

a letter or group of letters that has meaning when spoken or written

term, designation, speech

worker

a person that performs a necessary task

operator, mechanic, journeyman

workforce

the total number of workers actively employed

labor pool, personnel, staff

workout

the act of doing physical exercise or training

tryout, drill, rehearsal

workplace

the location where you are employed

office, factory, building

workshop

a room where work tasks are performed

lab, studio, establishment

world

the planet and all the people on it

earth, globe, planet

worship

a ritual showing devotion

praise, prayer, devotion

writer

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.”

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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.

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10 Example Sentences

Want to wander through some sentences containing W-nouns? Here’s a selection of 10 of the above words in action:

  1. I hope you’re paying them a proper wage.
  2. Let’s paint this wall red.
  3. Would you like to add strawberries to your water?
  4. She loves to sit out there and watch the waves.
  5. He doesn’t believe he has a weakness in this area.
  6. What will the weather be like in Istanbul?
  7. Do you know anyone who can build my website?
  8. Don’t just live for the weekend.
  9. He’s a very hard worker.
  10. 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!