ampersand
Americannoun
-
ampersands
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of ampersand
1820–30; contraction of and per se and literally, (the symbol) & by itself (stands for) and; see per se
Explanation
An ampersand is a shorthand symbol for "and." It looks like this: & . People often use an ampersand when they want to save space — like when they're writing on Twitter or trying to come up with a cool company logo. The symbol comes from ancient Roman times and can be seen in really old Pompeiian graffiti. The word ampersand is a mix of Latin and English and a condensed version of the phrase "and per se and," which means "(the character) '&' by itself is 'and'."
Vocabulary lists containing ampersand
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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:
The ampersand, meanwhile, evolved over time from a jagged bit of Roman graffiti into the curly charmer we know today.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Cheech & Chong — the version joined by an ampersand in our collective consciousness — are gone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2025
The only thing missing is the word “Mercantile” and an ampersand to complete this Brooklyn-chic vibe.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 20, 2022
A third has inserted an ampersand to emphasize that Patrick & Henry Community College is named for a pair of counties it serves in the southern region of the state.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 10, 2021
The m of the curious word ampersand, variously spelt, is due to the neighbouring p.
From The Romance of Words (4th ed.) by Ernest Weekley
It’s both a hoot and a bit of a slog — a “Fast & Furious” movie, more or less, but with more ampersands and fewer series regulars than usual.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2019
Those little thought bubbles filled with ampersands and exclamation points and number signs.
From Slate ● Apr. 3, 2019
If you have a personal Wi-Fi network, make sure that you password-protect access, and use long passwords that include special characters, such as ampersands and exclamation marks.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 12, 2018
His handwriting was small, and he used ampersands and abbreviations.
From New York Times ● Feb. 5, 2015
She was at it all week for more than eight hours a day, until her back and neck ached, and ragged curls of unfurling ampersands swam across her vision.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
