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
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
It also struggled if two sounds were similar, like /p/ and /b/.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2023
“Nope,” he replied, popping the p sound at the end and looking out the window.
From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway
Although Laija García hasn’t shied away from embracing that familial tie either; in May, both Tito Double P and Peso Pluma concluded their “Dinastía” tour following their joint 2025 album of the same name.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
Her report recommends apologising to Mrs P and making a payment of £2,000 to reflect the injustices caused.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 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
"Roads were made and security forces opened camps inside the jungles," local police chief Sundarraj P, who spent years fighting the insurgency, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026
Using some vertically plumb object continued . at Alexandria on the day of the solstice, he measured angle a, and therefore angle P, at 7.2 degrees.
From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro
“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
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 Carroll, Lewis
Who would not give all else for two p- ennyworth only of beautiful soup!
From Songs From Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Carroll, Lewis
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 Pearson, Edmund Lester
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
P- Q4, but the exchange of the B for the Kt gives Black a free development and in consequence a good game.
From Chess Strategy by Du Mont, J.
The latter move prevents the exchange of the B after Black's Kt-R4, an exchange which would allow Black to round up his pawn formation with P- QB4.
From Chess Strategy by Du Mont, J.
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 Conrad, Joseph
When he states the obvious, the index is there to point this out for the reader: “Naples the Capital City of the Kingdom of Naples, p. 195.”
From Slate ● Feb. 21, 2022
Open Saturdays 8 a.m. to 1 p. m.,
From Washington Post ● Aug. 19, 2021
“The moral and political obligation to resist use of torture”: 7-9 p. m.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 4, 2017
The District Court stayed its order pending appellate review on condition that review was sought before 4 p. m.,
From MSNBC ● Jul. 22, 2015
Same day, 11 o’clock p. m.—Oh, but I am tired!
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
"We were surprised by how much P. gingivalis was present in the calcified aortic valves," Li said.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
In 1981, Esquire magazine ran a story written by onetime UPI photo staffer Stanley P. Friedman about the most-requested pictures that never actually existed: A shot of the foundering Titanic in 1912.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
Soumaya Keynes and Chad P. Bown explain what we should do about it.
From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2026
Myra P. Saefong spoke with professional traders about what gold’s recent price decline signals for the economy and for long-term investors.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 12, 2026
I can’t believe an important person like Coach P. has named something about me I have secretly thought about myself.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
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
In a statement sent to the BBC, the court said it considered Thomas P's previous clean record and the loss of a person close to him "to be mitigating factors".
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 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
Kakar says to think of these three P’s when heading to the court.
From Seattle Times ● May 3, 2024
Each day during the Series, at the sound of the school bell, Shirley and her classmates dashed to Mr. P’s to cheer their team.
From "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord
“You need to be on your Ps and Qs in both categories,” Snead said, “both variables, right, to earn that type of contract.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 2, 2026
He has a rule of Three Ps “is it possible, plausible or probable?” to judge the merits of the argument.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 5, 2026
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
"My list of achievements is longer than my list of regrets," he raps on Rice & Ps.
From BBC ● May 26, 2023
Last night, after studying the tennis photo, she had paged through the Ps in the student sections, searching for James Parker.
From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson
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
Being aware of how to mind your p's and q's in each of those places is essential to getting by or possibly moving up in the world.
From Salon ● Nov. 24, 2022
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
She snaps back, “Now, you just mind your own p’s and q’s there!”
From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Please tell it like it is. ps yes sugar is still bad just not bad enough for all the hype.
From New York Times ● Aug. 30, 2016
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
Sincerely, The Ghost of Saddam Oh, and then there's this advice: ps don't join myspace!
From The Guardian ● Jun. 3, 2010
Posterior to the blastopore 2 the primitive streak, ps, is seen as a collection of scattered cells between the ectoderm and the entoderm, apparently formed by proliferation from the ventral side of the ectoderm.
From Development of the Digestive Canal of the American Alligator by Reese, C. M.
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.
