p
abbreviation
p
1 Americanabbreviation
p
2
American
abbreviation
P
3
American
[pee]
/ pi /
Or
p
noun
-
P's,
plural
-
Ps,
plural
-
p's,
plural
-
ps
plural
-
the sixteenth letter of the English alphabet, a consonant.
-
any spoken sound represented by the letter P or p, as in pet, supper, top, etc.
-
something having the shape of a P .
-
a written or printed representation of the letter P or p.
-
a device, as a printer's type, for reproducing the letter P or p.
P
4
American
abbreviation
-
Education. (as a rating of student performance) passing.
-
Chess. pawn.
-
Electronics. plate.
-
poor.
-
Grammar. predicate.
-
Protestant.
P
5
American
Symbol.
-
the 16th in order or in a series.
-
(sometimes lowercase) the medieval Roman numeral for 400.
-
Genetics. parental.
-
Chemistry. phosphorus.
-
Physics.
-
Chemistry. proton.
-
Biochemistry. proline.
p-
6
American
abbreviation
P-
7
American
abbreviation
p.
8
American
abbreviation
p.
9
American
abbreviation
p.
10
American
abbreviation
p.
11
American
abbreviation
-
page.
-
part.
-
participle.
-
past.
-
Chess. pawn.
-
penny; pence.
-
per.
-
Grammar. person.
-
peseta.
-
peso.
-
pint.
-
pipe.
-
Baseball. pitcher.
-
pole.
-
population.
-
president.
-
pressure.
-
purl.
P.
12
American
abbreviation
P.
13
American
abbreviation
-
pastor.
-
peseta.
-
peso.
-
post.
-
president.
-
pressure.
-
priest.
-
prince.
-
progressive.
P
1
British
symbol
-
chem phosphorus
-
physics
-
pressure
-
power
-
parity
-
poise
-
-
(on road signs) parking
-
chess pawn
-
currency
-
(the former) peseta
-
peso
-
pataca
-
pula
-
abbreviation
-
Portugal (international car registration)
-
pharmacy only: used to label medicines that can be obtained without a prescription, but only at a shop at which there is a pharmacist
p.
2
British
abbreviation
-
page
-
part
-
participle
-
past
-
per
-
post
-
pro
p
3
British
symbol
-
(in Britain) penny or pence
-
music piano: an instruction to play quietly
-
pico-
-
physics
-
momentum
-
proton
-
pressure
-
p
4
British
/ piː /
noun
-
the 16th letter and 12th consonant of the modern English alphabet
-
a speech sound represented by this letter, usually a voiceless bilabial stop, as in pig
-
to be careful to behave correctly and use polite or suitable language
p-
5
British
prefix
p
Idioms
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of p1
From the Italian word piano
Origin of p.8
From the Latin word pater
Origin of p.9
From the Italian word piano
Origin of p.10
From the Latin word post
Origin of P.12
From the Latin word Pater
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:
Rajadhyaksha points out there is a “remarkably consistent pattern p st most geopolitical conflicts …of an initial shock…then a grind back as economic fundamentals reassert themselves.”
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 26, 2026
For instance, a person whose p tau217 levels increased at age 60 developed symptoms roughly 20 years later.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 23, 2026
It also recognizes “the fundamental role” of soccer’s international governing body, FIFA, and the important role of regional and national soccer federations, as well as relevant associations, in p romoting the game.
From Seattle Times ● May 7, 2024
She appeared p alongside former presenter Holly Willoughby on Willoughby's first show following the departure of her co-host Phillip Schofield.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2023
"P, p, p," Sam sounded in a whisper.
From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry
Test your knowledge of the English language: How many words can you create with the letters P, Y, C, R, O, and T?
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
Under typical conditions, Po and So waves form when P and S waves scatter repeatedly through layered structures inside an oceanic plate.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 18, 2026
ABC News and National Geographic were among the other winners on night one of the awards at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P Rose Hall.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
We are very happy to work jointly to make sure that you don’t just drive token consumption, but you actually see changes in the P & L and in how people work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
Only events in the future of P can be affected by what happens at P because nothing can travel faster than light.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
“It’s awful hard to ask the girl, ‘Will you go to the p- pr- pr- prom with me?’
From New York Times ● Nov. 6, 2022
The antiproton p- is u- u- d , for example.
From Textbooks ● Aug. 12, 2015
It was something like this: Man with p- Get- Br- We spelled it out slowly.
From The Man in Lower Ten by Mary Roberts Rinehart
It was p- pretty f-f-foggy when we got to the wharf, and we s-saw it wouldn't be s-safe for F-Father and M-M-Mother and B-Betty and Alice and the b-b-baby to go sailing, anyhow.
From The Voyage of the Hoppergrass by Edmund Lester Pearson
Transcriber's Note: The hyphen at the end of the third line of the second verse is deliberate in the original, so that "two p-" pronounced as one syllable rhymes with "soup."
From Songs From Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
The time between the P- and S-waves is routinely used to determine the distance to their source, the epicenter of the earthquake.
From Textbooks ● Aug. 12, 2015
Mantle rock is generally denser and stronger than crustal rock and both P- and S-waves travel faster through the mantle than they do through the crust.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015
It is therefore necessary to play P- QB3 first.
From Chess Strategy by J. Du Mont
However, Black can then simply exchange twice on e4 and play P- c5, so that White loses his Pawn center.
From Chess and Checkers : the Way to Mastership by Edward Lasker
And Mr. P-, who was not good at catching what was shouted in the wind, would say interrogatively: “Yes, sir?”
From The Mirror of the Sea by Joseph Conrad
For example, where Bromley sounds pedantic or confused, the index picks this up: “Chatham, where and how situated, viz., on the other Side Rochester Bridge, though commonly reported to be on this Side, p. 1.”
From Slate ● Feb. 21, 2022
Tours: Tuesday through Saturday from 12:45 p.m. to 3 p. m., subject to availability.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 7, 2019
The District Court stayed its order pending appellate review on condition that review was sought before 4 p. m.,
From MSNBC ● Jul. 22, 2015
Held at 2100 Fifth Ave. from 6-9 p. m.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 1, 2012
Opposite p., left: When the sun is not directly overhead, shadows of equal length are cast.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Real estate developer Edward P. Roski, one of the Lakers’ other known minority owners, has not disclosed whether he intends to sell his 3% stake in the team.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
Given Seward’s popularity, as well as the prominence of other candidates, such as Salmon P. Chase, Simon Cameron and Edward Bates, this was no small accomplishment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
"An international wanted notice has been issued... for the head of the Telegram administration, P. Durov," it said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Writing in the Yale Law Journal, Cherneff reconstructed the history of In re Turner, an 1867 decision by Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase that helped end the re-enslavement of Black children through involuntary “apprenticeships.”
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Mrs. P., a friend of Miep’s, has been cooking his meals.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
Armenta was instrumental in writing and producing Tito Double P’s 2024 debut “Incómodo,” a 21-track project that helped distinguish the Mexican corrido singer from his already famous cousin, Peso Pluma.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026
After exhausting all of her options, she opened Ms. P’s Child and Family Services in the downtown Washington area to provide services to middle- and low-income families with disabled children.
From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2025
The Venezuelan journalist Moisés Naím identified the three P’s as the standard playbook of 21st century autocrats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2024
Kakar says to think of these three P’s when heading to the court.
From Seattle Times ● May 3, 2024
You felt you would have to mind your P’s and Q’s, if you ever met living people who looked like that.
From "The Magician's Nephew" by C. S. Lewis
You need the three Ps: patience, paperwork and perseverance.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
"Ps sorry to hear about the toilet but glad it is fixed," they jokingly added.
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026
“So the communication is very wide open. You definitely have to watch your Ps and Qs.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2025
The designers also introduced their new logo in various forms — two abstract letter Ps combined to form an S — on a black sweater, or as hardware on shoes, belts or bags.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 10, 2023
The class was busy coloring Ps for “pumpkin.”
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
Viewed this way, minding our p’s and q’s is less about proscriptive notions of correctness, and more about mindfulness, self-discovery and proper conduct.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 7, 2023
Meanwhile, I minded my p’s and q’s—aka be little Miss Perfect.
From Slate ● Jun. 9, 2021
“It was an experience. I had to watch my p’s and q’s. If not, I’d hear about it,” Celebrezze told former Justice Patrick Fischer as part of an oral history project on the court.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 4, 2021
From this we find a sample proportion, p', and graph it on the axis of p's.
From Textbooks ● Nov. 29, 2017
“We have to mind our p's and q's,” Grandma reminded us.
From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals
In the early months after Goldberg’s death, Sandberg says she made the three classic mistakes – “the three ps – personalisation, pervasiveness and permanence”.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 16, 2017
Meaningful employment prospects are weak. ps - May we please see the underlying assumptions on which these claims of full employment are based?
From New York Times ● Mar. 1, 2017
The standard normal distribution in probability, ps, corresponds to μ = 0 and σ = 1.
From Textbooks ● Mar. 30, 2016
For example, because of their lifetimes of about 1.5 ps and their production at the LHC with momenta between a few GeV/c and ~100 GeV/c, mesons travel up to a few centimetres before they decay.
From Nature ● May 12, 2015
Ed, Albuminiparous gland. u, Uterine dilatation of the hermaphrodite duct. d, Digitate accessory glands on the female duct. ps, Calciferous gland or dart-sac on the female duct.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 5 "Gassendi, Pierre" to "Geocentric" by Various
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.
