indefinite article

noun, Grammar
1.
an article, as English a, an, that denotes class membership of the noun it modifies without particularizing it.
Origin
1720-30
Examples from the web for indefinite article
  • If the noun has the indefinite article the infinitive is better sometimes.
  • The control over the definite and indefinite article is examined in relation to their forms and functions.
  • Use the indefinite article an before abbreviations and acronyms that are pronounced as if they begin with a vowel.
  • The simple addition of the indefinite article a eliminates the ambiguity.
  • The word following the indefinite article begins with a vowel sound.
British Dictionary definitions for indefinite article

indefinite article

noun
1.
(grammar) a determiner that expresses nonspecificity of reference, such as a, an, or some Compare definite article
indefinite article in Culture

indefinite article definition


The word a or an introducing an unspecified noun or the name of a general category: “a dog,” “an apple,” “an orange.” An is used when the next word begins with a vowel or a silent (unpronounced) h, as in “an egg” or “an hour.”