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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

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

“Investors are stepping back and saying ‘Where might the next leg of alpha come from?’” said Joshua Schachter, chief investment officer at Easterly Snow, referring to the trading term for outperforming market benchmarks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026

That translates to an annualized alpha of more than 60%.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

"Boosting the tubulin pool, rather than blocking droplet formation, can curb toxic aggregation while preserving the healthy roles of Tau and alpha synuclein, offering a potential selective therapeutic strategy."

From Science Daily ● Jun. 21, 2026

As early as the 1920s, Rutherford had started searching for induced radioactivity in targets blasted with alpha rays.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Education Minister Alpha Bacar Barry said he was "deeply saddened by the news" and extended his "sincere condolences" to the family.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Analysts had forecast revenue at 4.48 billion euros, according to Visible Alpha.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

The result compares with analysts’ forecasts of 5.89 billion euros, according to a Visible Alpha poll of estimates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

“Traditional robo advisers automate the boring stuff: allocation, rebalancing, tax-loss harvesting,” said Matt Chancey, a certified financial planner and founder of Tax Alpha Companies in Florida.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

The voice was that of a jaunty young Alpha, who had entered earning a black iron cash-box.

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

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

The two alphas publicly questioning the mentality of the England team is something that could come back to haunt them later in the tour.

From BBC ● Dec. 7, 2025

If zoomers are delicate snowflakes, alphas are the opposite — a horde of marauders chasing Drunk Elephant beauty products.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 22, 2024

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 Freas, Kelly