papa
noun
papa
American
[pah-puh, puh-pah]
/ ˈpɑ pə, pəˈpɑ /
noun
-
papas
plural
-
Papa, a code word used in communications, especially by radio, to represent the letter P.
Papa
1
British
/ ˈpɑːpɑː /
noun
papa
2
British
/ pəˈpɑː /
noun
papa
3
British
/ ˈpɑːpɑː /
noun
papa
4
British
/ ˈpɑːpa /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of papa
First recorded in 1675–85; from French; Middle French pappa (nursery word); compare Latin pāpa “father” ( see pope), Old Norse pāpi, pabbi “father”; see pap 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In June, his twin sons transferred to his alma mater from a Detroit prep school with hopes of making their papa proud and lifting the town’s spirit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2026
‘You’ve got to take care of mama bear and papa bear first.’
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 16, 2025
When Gustav swaggers back into the daughters’ lives to play the cheery grandfather and beloved papa, both are skeptical.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025
"My papa, Lev Rubinstein, died today," his daughter Maria wrote on her blog.
From BBC ● Jan. 14, 2024
This might come as a shock to your mama and papa, since your family was friends with us Warnes for so long.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
His Papa Charles grappled the fish, and Walters held their catch.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Papa Pope’s harsh words were meant to prepare his daughter for the risks inherent to flirting with power.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026
Her employer has financial interests in multiple high street pizza chains including Papa Johns and Domino's.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Papa Johns now plans to pitch “fan-favorite products” with “short, targeted windows of disruptive value,” backed by a push to rebuild local advertising co-ops to give regional franchisees more targeted marketing power.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Papa said that as long as he lived, he would never forget that night.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
As a result, this specific babbling bent makes "dadas," "babas" and "papas" – along with "apas" and "abas" – very popular things for little Carlos or Keisha to say while hanging out in the crib.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2022
R&B-loving Filipina American friends launch the plant shop for ‘fly plant mamas and papas’
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2021
He hits, in his way, the same notes as Ted Lasso: a man unabashed to be emotional, loving, kind, the proudest and most supportive of papas.
From Slate ● Dec. 12, 2020
“An audience is nothing more than eight or nine hundred mamas and papas clapping their hands and saying, ‘Good boy, baby,’ ” he said.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 20, 2017
The childrens are in the huts and casas with their mamas and papas where they belong.
From "The Unfinished Angel" by Sharon Creech
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
