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Synonyms

papa

American  
[pah-puh, puh-pah] / ˈpɑ pə, pəˈpɑ /

noun

  1. father.

  2. Papa, a code word used in communications, especially by radio, to represent the letter P.

Papa 1 British  
/ ˈpɑːpɑː /

noun

  1. communications a code word for the letter p

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
papa 2 British  
/ pəˈpɑː /

noun

  1. old-fashioned an informal word for father

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
papa 3 British  
/ ˈpɑːpɑː /

noun

  1. RC Church another name for the pope 1

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
papa 4 British  
/ ˈpɑːpa /

noun

  1. rare. a soft blue-grey clay of marine siltstone or sandstone

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Hebel characterized Morrison as “very much like a papa bear, a protector” who was very close to Sheina, his only child.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

‘You’ve got to take care of mama bear and papa bear first.’

From MarketWatch • Dec. 16, 2025

To me, and everyone else in my family, he’s always been papa.

From Salon • Oct. 31, 2025

“He was the most amazing husband, father, papa and actor. He loved performing for the ‘Days’ audience and sharing the stage with the greatest cast, crew, and production team in the business.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 29, 2024

“It reminds me of your aunt Tzivyah. We used to have so much fun with your papa building ours.”

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.