indefinite article

noun Grammar.

an article, as English a, an, that denotes class membership of the noun it modifies without particularizing it.

Origin of indefinite article

First recorded in 1720–30

Words nearby indefinite article

indefeasible, indefectible, indefensible, indefinable, indefinite, indefinite article, indefinite integral, indefinite number, indefinite pronoun, indefinite relative clause, indefinite relative pronoun

British Dictionary definitions for indefinite article

indefinite article

noun

grammar a determiner that expresses nonspecificity of reference, such as a, an, or some Compare definite article

Cultural definitions for indefinite article

indefinite article

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.”