Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - noughts and crosses

~ n BrE a game in which two players write 0 or X in a pattern of nine squares, trying to win with a row of three 0s or three Xs; tick­tack­toe AmE n n a word or group of words that represent a person (such as `Michael' or `teacher' or `police officer'), a place (such as `France' or `school'), a thing or activity (such as `coffee' or `football'), or a quality or idea (such as `danger' or `happiness'). Nouns can be used as the subject or object of a verb (as in `The teacher arrived' or `We like the teacher') or as the object of a prep (as in `good at football').  (- see also common noun, count noun, proper noun, verbal noun)