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• alpha
  alpha

  noun

  the first letter of the Greek alphabet (A, α).
• Alpha
  Alpha

  noun

  (foll by the genitive case of a specified constellation) usually the brightest star in a constellation

SEE ALSO:

Slang dictionary results for alpha.

alpha

American  

[al-fuh] / ˈæl fə /

noun

• alphas
  plural

1. the first letter of the Greek alphabet (A, α).

2. the vowel sound represented by the first letter of the Greek alphabet.

3. the first; the beginning.

4. Astronomy. Alpha, used to designate the brightest star in a constellation.

   Alpha Arietis is the brightest star in Aries.

5. Chemistry. one of two or more isomeric compounds.

6. the first in a series of related items: frequently used in chemistry and physics.

7. Computers. an early phase of hardware or software development, in which the product is tested by its developers or manufacturers.

   Some modules are complete and ready for consumers while others are still in alpha.

8. Chiefly British. a mark or grade corresponding to an A.

9. alpha male.

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adjective

1. 1. (of an animal) having the highest rank in a dominance hierarchy.

      the alpha female of an elephant pack.

   2. being the most dominant, powerful, or assertive person in a particular group.

   3. Slang: Sometimes Disparaging. being or relating to a man who is perceived to be assertive, successful, and sexually dominant.

2. alphabetical.

   Put the files in alpha order.

3. Computers. being, relating to, or undergoing the early phase of product development in which a product is tested by its developers or manufacturers.

   The initial release is really an alpha version only available to developers.

4. Chemistry. relating to or linked to the carbon atom closest to a particular group in an organic molecule.

alpha ¹ British  

/ ˈælfə /

noun

1. the first letter in the Greek alphabet (Α, α), a vowel transliterated as a

2. the highest grade or mark, as in an examination

3. (modifier)

   1. involving or relating to helium-4 nuclei

      an alpha particle

   2. relating to one of two or more allotropes or crystal structures of a solid

      alpha iron

   3. relating to one of two or more isomeric forms of a chemical compound, esp one in which a group is attached to the carbon atom to which the principal group is attached

4. (modifier) denoting the dominant person or animal in a group

   the alpha male

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Alpha ² British  

/ ˈælfə /

noun

1. (foll by the genitive case of a specified constellation) usually the brightest star in a constellation

   Alpha Centauri

2. communications a code word for the letter a

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• alphas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of alpha

First recorded in 1150–1200; from Latin, from Greek álpha, from Phoenician 'lp “ox,” also the name of the first letter of the Phoenician alphabet; cf. aleph

Explanation

Alpha is the first letter in the Greek alphabet. Many college fraternities are named after two or three Greek letters, often including an alpha. Scientists frequently use alpha to mean the first item in a list or series, or the most important item in a group. An uppercase alpha looks identical to a capital A, while the lowercase version is similar but not identical to a small a: α. The Greek alpha comes from the Hebrew and Phoenician aleph, a form of the word for "ox," eleph, possibly because the character resembled an ox's head.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

alpha Alpha alphas

Researchers place the PVC in a solvent, then add aluminum trichloride and alpha olefins.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026

And in one sense the researchers’ finding is too good to be true, since they reported that this hypothetical portfolio had an alpha close to zero after paying the stocks’ sky-high borrow costs.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

“I think he really loves playing the alpha male who’s starting to crumble.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

He also courted strong and straight — and unavailable — alpha men to whom he appeared happy to play the beta role of political ingénue.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

For the moment, Sydney was the alpha, and that seemed to be good enough for the others.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

“Boycotts can beget other boycotts, so there could be global risk to sales of U.S. business jets depending on how sentiment and behaviors change,” Capital Alpha said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

Becoming a content creator has officially elbowed out old standbys like doctor and astronaut as the job that Gen Z and Gen Alpha most aspire to have.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

When he overthrew President Alpha Condé, Doumbouya said he would not seek election and would hand over to civilian rule.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

That missed the 718.6 million yuan loss estimated by analysts in a Visible Alpha poll.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

He then proceeded to shout at Alpha and Beta, a sign that he was in a genuine good mood.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

The implications are alarming, since there currently are four industry groupings within the S&P 1,500 index that have trailing two-year alphas of at least 100 percentage points.

From MarketWatch ● May 18, 2026

Dr. Kelson is so lonely that he’s begun to befriend one of those spine-ripping alphas, whom he calls Samson.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2026

He and coach Brendon McCullum are two alphas in the England dressing room, possibly leaving little room for the growth of other characters.

From BBC ● Jan. 3, 2026

Dr. Phil, however, offered a different perspective, claiming both Swift and Kelce are alphas and pointed to their individual successes.

From Salon ● Feb. 29, 2024

We fired alphas, gammas, betas, the works, in wide dispersion, concentrated beam and just plain exposure.

From Make Mine Homogenized by Kelly Freas