name names
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
I can't name names, but the song concerns a series of people who'd recognise themselves in there if they examined the lyrics.
Detectives believe a New York Mafia family, who planned to ‘ launder’ the bonds, sent a hitman to silence Thomas before he could name names.
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review.
Common questions
What does “name names” mean?
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
Is “name names” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.