A noun phrase is a substantive phrase which quantities to a noun or noun substitute in operate. It could comprise a single noun, or it could comprise another grammatical class of phrases akin to adjective phrases, prepositional phrases, possessive phrases, or total 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).