A noun phrase is a substantive phrase which quantities to a noun or noun substitute in operate. It might comprise a single noun, or it could comprise another grammatical class of phrases comparable to adjective phrases, prepositional phrases, possessive phrases, or complete clauses.
Noun phrases may also be used for qualification (as within the case of an attributive adjective phrase), dedication (as within the case of a determinative phrase), or quantification (as within the case of a numeral phrase or a quantifier phrase).