pa
noun
pa
1 American
[pah, paw]
/ pɑ, pɔ /
noun
Informal.
-
pas
plural
Pa
2
American
abbreviation
Physics.
Pa
3
American
Symbol, Chemistry.
PA
4
American
abbreviation
-
Parents' Association.
-
paying agent.
-
Pennsylvania (approved especially for use with zip code).
-
physician's assistant.
-
press agent.
-
public-address system.
Pa.
5
American
abbreviation
p.a.
6
American
abbreviation
-
participial adjective.
-
per annum.
-
press agent.
P.A.
7
American
abbreviation
-
Parents' Association.
-
Insurance. particular average.
-
passenger agent.
-
post adjutant.
-
power of attorney.
-
press agent.
-
public-address system.
-
publicity agent.
-
purchasing agent.
PA
1
British
abbreviation
-
Pennsylvania
-
personal appearance
-
personal assistant
-
military Post Adjutant
-
power of attorney
-
press agent
-
Press Association
-
banking private account
-
public-address system
-
publicity agent
-
Publishers Association
-
purchasing agent
-
insurance particular average
-
(in New Zealand) probationary assistant
-
Panama (international car registration)
pa
2
British
/ pɑː /
noun
-
a Māori village or settlement
-
history a Māori defensive position and settlement on a hilltop
-
to abandon city life in favour of rural life
Pa
3
British
symbol
symbol
Pa.
4
British
abbreviation
pa
5
British
/ pɑː /
noun
pa
6
British
abbreviation
p.a.
7
British
abbreviation
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of pa
Short for papa
Vocabulary lists containing pa
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:
Much of her sophomore album “Vanity” has main character energy, and Lovestory’s “Telenovela,” with its extended metaphors of Barbarella bad bitches, “tragica erotica,” and using “su lengua pa cambiar el canal” is the descriptive centerpiece.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2025
Do you and your pa bond best over a meal or a pint?
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 15, 2023
“Trumpets,” Zárate instructed three students in the back, “make the introduction sound majestic — pa ra ra ra ra — like a king is coming!”
From New York Times ● Nov. 3, 2022
Because stop sounds, along with vowels, are the earliest and most frequent sounds babies tend to babble – which means "pa," "ta," "ba" and "da" are all early infant vocalizations.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2022
My pa died of sickness before I was born and then my ma died, of course, no surprises there.
From "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness
“It’s a perfect storm of post-pandemic burnout and a re-evaluation of one’s priorities, and also booming AI and a sense of what’s possible,” said Samir Ahmad, 39, who lives in Breinigsville, Pa.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Charles and Caroline are a handsome couple, with Pa hewn in the rugged spirit immortalized by Michael Landon in the 1970s TV classic.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
It also introduces a theme in which Ma, who has lost “so many” babies, is trying to give Pa a boy, though he is not the sort to be disappointed in another girl.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Chris Grouzes, 41, said no one had asked to borrow from his collection of 20 hacky sacks during his nearly two decades of teaching at Penncrest High School in Media, Pa.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
Pa didn’t have a chance to wave back, ’cause he twirled his way straight down along a big river that was so muddy, it had to be the Mississipp.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
Julia told PA that the debit took Adam's account "considerably" into overdraft.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Ramsey, who died in 1990, was the original PA voice of the Angels, as well as the Dodgers, Kings, Lakers and L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
Wright, an American architect known for his innovative designs such as Fallingwater in Mill Run, PA, and the Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan, designed homes that fit into their surroundings.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
PA refers to product area, a term Google uses for divisions such as Google Search.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Then I heard his announcement come over the PA system.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
The Johnstown, Pa., flood in 1889 killed more 2,000 and attracted attention around the world.
From Barron's ● Sep. 5, 2026
The actress, who hails from Allentown, Pa., also looked back on her childhood, admitting that she was “relentlessly loud and energetic and needed constant attention” when she was younger.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
President Trump and other senior officials have touted the program heavily, highlighting downtown revitalization in Erie, Pa., and affordable housing in Charleston, S.C.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
The Earthquake Kids from Northridge Little League made it to the championship game of the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., after the destructive 1994 Northridge Earthquake.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
I'd seen through Pa. He’s no Vonetta, putting on performances.
From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia
There's plentiful money if usa spends billions $ less p.a.
From New York Times ● Apr. 15, 2016
And for online degree programs delivered via a self-paced, competency-based model, the marginal cost including support and advising is likely under $1,000 p.a.
From Forbes ● Jun. 10, 2015
The US gdp/capita grew 1.4 pct p.a. in the 19th century with an average inflation of zero, inflation in war-time and deflation afterwards.
From Economist ● Jul. 26, 2012
HR Manager archbishops council of the church of england. church house, westminster. £52,320 - £56,620 p.a..
From The Guardian ● Mar. 24, 2010
Stephen Drakes, was there at 8 a.m., and he wasn't letting me near the p.a.
From Time Magazine Archive
With these three factors, it’s possible to predict the likelihood of an accident, says sleep researcher Hans P.A.
From Slate ● Nov. 26, 2025
“Please stand and remove your hats for the singing of the national anthem,” the stadium announcer said over the P.A. system.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2025
When the two teams walked out of the tunnel, Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” played on the P.A.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 6, 2023
Air purifiers were set next to large fans, creating industrial noise that made it necessary to use a P.A. system.
From Salon ● May 9, 2023
You may have noticed, too, that it was Mrs. Sidman who read the Morning Announcements over the P.A. instead of Mr. Guareschi.
From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt
The market is shaky because the nuclear euphoria of the pas two years has worn off.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
It was during his on-court interview afterward, however, that Shelton committed a bit of a faux pas while discussing the match that ended later than any other in tournament history.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Another Kushner faux pas, this one perhaps reflecting his ignorance of European history: “There is no such thing in the world as forever enemies or forever allies.”
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
The repertoire will include Angelin Preljocaj’s pas de deux from “Le Parc,” Maurice Béjart’s “The Firebird” and his choreography for Maurice Ravel’s “Bolero,” which is the centerpiece of the event.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Unsure how to act in the company of a divine presence, this living reincarnation of an ancient and illustrious lama, I was terrified of unwittingly giving offense or committing some irredeemable faux pas.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
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.
