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
Punctuation Matters
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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
The only thing missing is the word “Mercantile” and an ampersand to complete this Brooklyn-chic vibe.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 20, 2022
Bethanne Patrick’s January picks cover train wrecks, political drama, enraging inequality, the complications of polyamory and the joy of the ampersand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2022
There are also class and regional differences between the pair, and not since Barnes met Noble has the ampersand gotten such a workout, analyzing the miracle of their conjoining.
From New York Times ● Jan. 4, 2022
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
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.
