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• 'd
  'd

  contraction of had:
• D
  D

  noun

  the fourth letter of the English alphabet, a consonant.
• D-
  D-

  (of a molecule) having a configuration resembling the dextrorotatory isomer of glyceraldehyde: always printed as a small capital, roman character.
• d'
  d'

  preposition

  de (used in French names as an elided form ofde ).
• d-
  d-

  dextrorotatory; dextro- (distinguished from l-).
• d.
  d.

  abbreviation

  (in prescriptions) give.
• D.
  D.

  abbreviation

  day.
• d
  d

  symbol

  physics density or relative density

'd

¹ American  

1. contraction of had:

   I was glad they'd gone.

2. contraction of did:

   Where'd they go?

3. contraction of should or would:

   He'd like to go. I'd like to remind you of your promise.

4. contraction of -ed:

   She OK'd the plan.

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D ² American  

[dee] / di /

Or d

noun

• D's,
  plural
• Ds,
  plural
• d's,
  plural
• ds
  plural

1. the fourth letter of the English alphabet, a consonant.

2. any spoken sound represented by the letter D or d, as in dog, ladder, ladle, or pulled.

3. something having the shape of a D .

4. a written or printed representation of the letter D or d.

5. a device, as a printer's type, for reproducing the letter D or d.

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D ³ American  

abbreviation

1. Electricity. debye; debyes.

2. deep.

3. depth.

4. Optics. diopter.

5. divorced.

6. Dutch.

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D ⁴ American  

Symbol.

1. the fourth in order or in a series.

2. (sometimes lowercase) (in some grading systems) a grade or mark, as in school or college, indicating the quality of a student's work as poor or barely passing.

3. (sometimes lowercase) a classification, rating, or the like, indicating poor quality.

4. Music.

   1. the second tone in the scale of C major, or the fourth tone in the relative minor scale, A minor.

   2. a string, key, or pipe tuned to this tone.

   3. a written or printed note representing this tone.

   4. (in the fixed system of solmization) the second tone of the scale of C major, called re.

   5. the tonality having D as the tonic note.

5. (sometimes lowercase) the Roman numeral for 500.

6. Chemistry. deuterium. Also 2H

7. Electricity.

   1. electric displacement.

   2. a battery size for 1.5 volt dry cells: diameter, 1.3 inches (3.3 centimeters); length, 2.4 inches (6 centimeters).

8. Biochemistry. aspartic acid.

9. a symbol for a shoe width size narrower than E and wider than C.

10. a proportional brassiere cup size larger than C.

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D- ⁵ American  

1. Symbol, Biochemistry. (of a molecule) having a configuration resembling the dextrorotatory isomer of glyceraldehyde: always printed as a small capital, roman character.

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d' ⁶ American  

preposition

1. de (used in French names as an elided form ofde ).

   Charles Louis d'Albert.

2. di (used in Italian names as an elided form ofdi ).

   Gabriele d'Annunzio.

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d' ⁷ American  

1. Informal. contraction of do or did before you:

   How d'you like your eggs cooked? D'you go to the movies last night?

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d- ⁸ American  

Symbol, Chemistry, Biochemistry.

1. dextrorotatory; dextro- (distinguished from l-).

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d. ⁹ American  

abbreviation

1. (in prescriptions) give.

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d. ¹⁰ American  

abbreviation

1. British. pence.

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d. ¹¹ American  

abbreviation

1. date.

2. daughter.

3. day.

4. deceased.

5. deep.

6. degree.

7. delete.

8. Physics. density.

9. depth.

10. deputy.

11. dialect.

12. dialectal.

13. diameter.

14. died.

15. dime.

16. dividend.

17. dollar; dollars.

18. dose.

19. drachma.

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D. ¹² American  

abbreviation

1. day.

2. December.

3. Democrat.

4. Democratic.

5. Physics. density.

6. Deus.

7. Deuteronomy.

8. Doctor.

9. dose.

10. Dutch.

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D. ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. politics Democrat(ic)

2. government Department

3. dinar(s)

4. Don (a Spanish title)

5. Duchess

6. Duke

7. (in the US and Canada) Doctor

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D ² British  

symbol

1. music

   1. a note having a frequency of 293.66 hertz ( D above middle C ) or this value multiplied or divided by any power of 2; the second note of the scale of C major

   2. a key, string, or pipe producing this note

   3. the major or minor key having this note as its tonic

2. chem deuterium

3. maths the first derivative of a function, as in D( x ³ + x ²) = 3 x ² + 2 x

4. physics

   1. dispersion

   2. electric displacement

5. aeronautics drag

6. 1. a semiskilled or unskilled manual worker, or a trainee or apprentice to a skilled worker

   2. ( as modifier ) See also occupation groupings

      D worker

7. 500 See Roman numerals

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abbreviation

1. Germany (international car registration)

2. 1. informal defence

      I'm playing D in the match this afternoon

   2. informal defensive play

'd ³ British  

contraction

1. would or had

   I'd

   you'd

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d ⁴ British  

symbol

1. physics density or relative density

2. maths a small increment in a given variable or function: used to indicate a derivative of one variable with respect to another, as in d y /d x

3. chess See algebraic notation

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d ⁵ British  

/ diː /

noun

1. the fourth letter and third consonant of the modern English alphabet

2. a speech sound represented by this letter, usually a voiced alveolar stop, as in dagger

3. the semicircle on a billiards table having a radius of 11 1/ 2 inches and its straight edge in the middle of the baulk line

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D ⁶ British  

abbreviation

1. Deutsch: indicating the serial number in the catalogue (1951) of the musical compositions of Schubert made by Otto Deutsch (1883–1967)

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d. ⁷ British  

abbreviation

1. (in animal pedigrees) dam

2. daughter

3. currency penny or pennies

4. diameter

5. died

6. dinar(s)

7. dollar(s)

8. drachma(s)

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d Scientific  

1. Abbreviation of diameter

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• D's
  plural
• Ds
  plural
• d's
  plural
• ds
  plural

Etymology

Origin of d.⁹

From the Latin word dā

Origin of d.¹⁰

From the Latin word denāriī

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

'd D D- d' d- d. D. d D's Ds d's ds

“If they had said, ‘We’re going to do this for another 20 years,’ I ‘d have been on board in a heartbeat.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026

But still, one by one, we ’d all burned out.

From Salon ● May 7, 2024

If women were fully represented in politics, our national priorities would expand and solutions would be smarter and more diverse, and we ’d have a stronger economy and nation.

From MSNBC ● Sep. 9, 2014

“Well, you ‘d have to know my mom.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 9, 2012

"Well, if we do something really bad and they kick us out of the camp, then they ’d have to — ” "Don’t even think about it, Frankie,” I warned.

From "The Red Umbrella" by Christina Gonzalez

With open enrollment for Medicare kicking off soon, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has published Part D premium details for the coming year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

Those studies found particularly high levels of the vitamin D receptor in rare groups of fibroblasts that live within tissues.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026

Drug premiums in Medicare Advantage are typically lower than for stand-alone Part D plans because insurers who administer the former can subsidize their drug plans with savings from, say, reducing hospitalizations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

Evans discovered the nuclear receptor superfamily, a major class of molecules that includes the vitamin D receptor.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026

“Move your lips three spaces to the right for high sounds. Blow, blow. Wait. Go back to the start. C, D, E. Blow, blow, blow.”

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

In their most recent assessment, for example, transit scored a D- and hazardous waste a D+.

From National Geographic ● Jul. 17, 2023

Catherine Porter, based in Paris, spent three days traveling across the D- Day landing sites in northern France to report this story.

From New York Times ● Jun. 6, 2023

Louisiana’s drinking water infrastructure limps in with a D-.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 16, 2021

Last year, the American Society of Civil Engineers’ annual Infrastructure Report Card gave the U.S. a D+, including a D+ for the power grid, a D for airports and a D- for transit.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 12, 2018

Captain D- has been in Capetown, and bought a horse, which he rode home seventy-five miles in a day and a half,—the beast none the worse nor tired. 

From Letters from the Cape by Lady Lucie Duff Gordon

I marched back to the maitre d’ at his podium and passionately argued for my personal père et fils special moment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

In the A.I. age, Maggie Hennessy asserts, sparring with a grouchy maître d’ over the phone is part of what makes dining out great.

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

The maître d’ was so rude and they called security on us,” says Bernad.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2026

Girmay topped his Gent-Wevelgem victory with another history-making stage win at Giro d' Italia, which after the Tour de France is cycling's second biggest Grand Tour race.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2024

The maitre d’ pulled sacks of potatoes and onions out of the service elevator and climbed in himself.

From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer

Ke5, Muzychuk can’t hold back both the d- and g-pawns indefinitely and resigned.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 27, 2022

Both the d- and f-block elements react with nonmetals to form binary compounds; heating is often required.

From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019

They're called d- and l-isomers—d for dextro, l for levo; right and left, you see.

From A Feast of Demons by Joseph Samachson

New Designs University Park, 16-25, 25-22, 25-21, 22-25, 15-13 Jordan d. 25-23, 25-19, 25-10 Westchester d.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2024

But just as bell hooks, the feminist writer, and k. d. lang, the singer-songwriter, often see their names appear with unwanted capital letters, lowercase compositions are often capitalized on their way to publication.

From New York Times ● Mar. 17, 2017

From part d. we see that receiving $1 million dollars per year indefinitely is worth $20 million dollars in today’s dollars.

From Textbooks ● Mar. 30, 2016

Use your answers to parts a. and d. to determine which of the three options is best.

From Textbooks ● Mar. 30, 2016

Christening of Parnell Averell, d. of William Averell, merchant tailor.”

From Curiosities of Puritan Nomenclature by Charles W. Bardsley

The contrast between Justices Thomas and Douglas, who was nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and served from 1939 to 1975, is especially stark.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Upholding these data searches “would not require states, candidates, parties, or voters to do anything,” Solicitor Gen. D. John Sauer told the court.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

On Thursday, one day before SCOTUS’s decision, Nevada Deputy Attorney General Greg D. Ott wrote to DHS that every single person of the 185 identified by DHS was, in fact, a lawful U.S. citizen.

From Slate ● Sep. 25, 2026

But in February, Graham finally managed to get Trump over the line, appealing to his vanity by shamelessly comparing him to Franklin D. Roosevelt.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

While Jackie was happy to help Lovelace, whom she had recommended to President Franklin D. Roosevelt for a top aviation award, she was also used to being the top female pilot and having the publicity.

From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson

KKR’s fee-related earnings jumped 37% from a year ago, and the firm raise d more than $34 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Astronomers had previously proposed that an undiscovered planet similar to Beta Pictoris d might be shaping the disk and producing some of those features.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026

The improvement was considered large by conventional statistical standards, with a Cohen's d of 1.13 on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, and more participants achieved remission.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 30, 2026

Vista del Lago, 25-14, 25-18, 25-21 Flintridge Prep d.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026

Mrs. Weidenbach’s hand plung; d into her bosom and drew up a lacy hanky.

From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck

Researchers believe this could be related to vitamin D's effects on inflammation and the immune system, both of which can influence pain responses.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026

What drives customers to storage, Dietz says are the four D’s: downsizing, decluttering, divorce and death.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026

I am a deep believer in this idea that national security is built off the three D’s: defense, diplomacy, and development.

From Slate ● Feb. 5, 2025

In fact, studies show that 66% of students who earn all A's play organized sports compared to just 24% of students with mostly D's and F's.

From Salon ● Jan. 1, 2025

The truth was, without Lynn, I probably would have gotten some D’s, I didn’t understand the point of school.

From "Kira-Kira" by Cynthia Kadohata

Only eight banks got Bs, while the majority got Cs; 36 got Ds.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 27, 2026

The words are thought to reference the "three Ds of insurance" - tactics used by companies to reject payment claims from customers.

From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2026

The same four Ds applied: death, divorce, dislocation, and disaster/downsizing.

From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2024

“You keep seeing Ds on your tests and ask, ‘Am I dumb?’

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2024

Since the “Toast for Change” wiped the slate clean for many of them, their grades have gone from Ds and Fs to As and Bs.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

The researchers intend to continue examining Webb's observations to refine their estimates of Beta Pictoris d's temperature, atmospheric composition, and orbit.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026

A small illustration of the eponymous rat hangs in the restaurant, signed by director Brad Bird, who spent days sketching the dining room, capturing the lamps, cheese trolley and maitre d's outfit.

From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2024

Dinner maitre d’s are gently professional, warm and welcoming.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 17, 2018

Four hours later across the way, uniformed guards and ushers punch time clocks, and beer and food trucks noisily back up to vending stands as maître d’s and waiters tidy up the clubhouse restaurants.

From New York Times ● Aug. 20, 2015

He pronounced the words lazily, blunting the t’s to d’s so that it sounded like “siddle lister.”

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

The Cyclones closed the third quarter with a pair of 3-pointers, the second by Ryan in the closing secon ds, that put ISU on top 49-47.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 18, 2023

Senior forward Oscar ds Silva has played well all season and was named the Pac-12 player of the week after averaging 19.8 points and 11 rebounds in three games last week.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 13, 2021

The number of ds that were added to is one less than the number of the term.

From Textbooks ● Sep. 23, 2020

To make the calculations easier, we can translate ∫C f ds to an integral with a variable of integration that is t.

From Textbooks ● Mar. 30, 2016

In these a Helmholtz. proof is attempted that ds must be a rational integral quadratic function of the increments of the coordinates.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 6 "Geodesy" to "Geometry" by Various